A new type of bed net could prevent millions of cases of malaria, according to new research published in The Lancet today (10 August).

The two-year clinical trial in Burkina Faso, West Africa involving 2,000 children showed that the number of cases of clinical malaria was reduced by 12 per cent with the new type of mosquito net compared to the conventional one used normally.

The study resulted from a collaboration of scientists from Durham University (UK), Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme (Burkina Faso), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (UK) and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Switzerland).

It found that:

  • The number of cases of clinical malaria reduced by 12 per cent with the new type of mosquito net compared to conventional nets.
  • Children sleeping under the new bed nets were 52 per cent less likely to be moderately anemic than those with a conventional net. Malaria anemia is a major cause of mortality in children under two years old.
  • In areas with the new combination bed nets, there was a 51 per cent reduction in risk of a malaria-infective mosquito bite compared to areas with conventional nets....Read more

Source web page: Science daily.com