Success of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Bednets: A Study

Malaria causes immense morbidity and mortality, especially among vulnerable population groups especially soldiers of the army, operating in unfriendlymalaria-endemic zones. Personal protection measures are therefore adopted and the use of bed nets is one of the mainstays of protection against the mosquito. Insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) are already in use, but these involve periodic retreatment with costly chemicals. Long-lasting Insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) which do not require re-treatment can prove to be good substitutes for ITNs. A study was carried out to compare the bio-efficacy of LLINs with ITNs, in an endemic area. The results showed that LLINs were more effective in knocking down/killing mosquitoes as compared to the ITNs, thus they were thought of as more advantageous. The future of mosquito control largely depends on successful usage, distribution and retention of LLINs. More and regular research on bio-efficacy and other aspects like acceptability are required.