The use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) to protect children from malaria has risen six-fold in the past seven years, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Kenyan and British scientists have published data from 40 African countries which shows that at the time of the Abuja meeting in 2000 just over 3% of Africa's young children were protected by a treated mosquito net. Seven years later this increased to only 18.5%. In 2007 90 million children have not yet received this simple protective tool, and remain at risk from life-threatening malaria. Most of these children live in only seven African countries; one country in particular stands out - a quarter of all African children living without nets are Nigerian.
The authors report that bed net use increases faster in countries that distribute them free of charge compared to countries that make people to pay for them. Usage rises to an average of 25% when they are given free, but is much lower at 4% when people have to pay for them.
The research was conducted by Dr Abdisalan Noor, from the Kenyan Medical Research Institute in Nairobi, who says: "Our analysis clearly shows that countries that provide insecticide treated mosquito nets free to their rural populations have achieved the highest levels of coverage in Africa in 2007. Making poor people pay the full costs of life-saving interventions like treated nets doesn't increase coverage."
The success of ITN coverage in a few countries, including Kenya, shows what can be achieved in a few short years, with adequate funding, political will, and a good distribution network. The researchers believe this success can be replicated in other places, and the research shows that attention increasingly needs to turn to areas where progress has been minimal.
