23/04/03

Bed nets prove their mettle against malaria

By: Martin Enserink

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<h1>Bed nets prove their mettle against malaria</h1>
<h4>By: Martin Enserink</h4>
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<p>The use of insecticide-impregnated bed nets prevents many deaths from malaria, even in areas with intense year-round transmission, according to a 2-year study in western Kenya.<BR><BR>The study provides the missing piece in a series of trials. Previous studies – held in Ghana, The Gambia, Burkino Faso and coastal Kenya – had shown that bed nets could save the lives of children, malaria’s main victims. But none of them took place in areas with extremely high, year-round transmission, such as western Kenya.<BR><BR>It is also an example of how a remarkably low-tech and relatively cheap intervention can have more impact than many snazzy scientific advances.<BR><BR>Reference: <em>Science</em> 294, 2271 (2001)<BR><BR></p>

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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/news/bed-nets-prove-their-mettle-against-malaria/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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The use of insecticide-impregnated bed nets prevents many deaths from malaria, even in areas with intense year-round transmission, according to a 2-year study in western Kenya.

The study provides the missing piece in a series of trials. Previous studies – held in Ghana, The Gambia, Burkino Faso and coastal Kenya – had shown that bed nets could save the lives of children, malaria’s main victims. But none of them took place in areas with extremely high, year-round transmission, such as western Kenya.

It is also an example of how a remarkably low-tech and relatively cheap intervention can have more impact than many snazzy scientific advances.

Reference: Science 294, 2271 (2001)