Use of bednets given free to pregnant women in Kenya

In 2001, Unicef procured 70000 bednets and insecticide treatments to be distributed free to pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in 35 (of 69) districts in Kenya. 1 year later, we interviewed 294 pregnant women who had received a free net. 267 (91%) nets had remained in the target homesteads, and only one of the nets had been sold. In a district with high malarial transmission, 93 (84%) of 111 women who had not previously been sleeping under a bednet had used the net while pregnant, and 97 (91%) of the 107 surviving babies were also protected; in another district, which had low transmission, 73 (58%) of 126 women used the nets during pregnancy and 91 (80%) of 114 infants were protected by the nets. These data suggest that bednets given free to pregnant women are used by recipients and their newborn children, and should be regarded as an important delivery system in increasing access to and use of insecticide-treated bednets in vulnerable groups.