Successful integration of insecticide-treated bed net distribution with mass drug administration in Central Nigeria

In Africa anopheline mosquitoes transmit malaria and lymphatic filariasis (LF); insecticide-treated bed nets significantly reduce transmission of both. Insecticide-treated bed net provision to children under 5 (U5) and pregnant women (PW) is a major goal of malaria control initiatives, but use in Africa remains low because of cost and logistics. We therefore integrated insecticide-treated bed net distribution with the 2004 LF/onchocerciasis mass drug administration (MDA) program in Central Nigeria. Community volunteers distributed 38,600 insecticide-treated bed nets, while simultaneously treating 150,800 persons with ivermectin/albendazole (compared with 135,600 in 2003). This was subsequently assessed with a 30-cluster survey. Among surveyed households containing U5/PW, 80% (95% CI, 72-87%) owned > or = 1 insecticide-treated bed net, a 9-fold increase from 2003. This first linkage of insecticide-treated bed net distribution with mass drug administration resulted in substantial improvement in insecticide-treated bed net ownership and usage, without adversely affecting mass drug administration coverage. Such integration allowed two programs to share resources while realizing mutual benefit, and is one model for rapidly improving insecticide-treated bed net coverage objectives.