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Physical durability: are bed nets getting any stronger?
Amy Wheldrake1, Estelle Guillemois1, Hamidreza Arouni1
1Nonwovens Innovation & Research Institute Ltd, Innovation House, Gibraltar Island Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1RJ, UK.
Malaria Journal
|January 13, 2024
Summary
Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) show no improvement in physical durability and resistance to damage (RD) between 2013 and 2020. Many ITNs exhibit poor performance, necessitating urgent upgrades to material standards and incentives for stronger product development.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Materials Science
- Vector Control
Background:
- Concerns persist regarding the physical durability of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and their 3-year lifespan.
- Assessing the resistance to damage (RD) of ITNs is crucial for ensuring their long-term efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the resistance to damage (RD) scores of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) sampled in 2013 and 2020.
- To determine if product development has improved ITN performance over time.
Main Methods:
- Compared RD scores and textile performance data of WHO-recommended ITNs from 2013 with WHO-prequalified ITNs from 2020.
- Included newer ITN products not available in 2013 to assess overall performance trends.
Main Results:
- Overall resistance to damage (RD) in ITNs has not improved between 2013 and 2020; some products show worse performance.
- The average RD score for comparable ITN brands decreased from 40 (2013) to 36 (2020).
- In 2020, only 2 of 24 tested ITN products exceeded an RD score of 50, while 6 had scores below 30, indicating significant inherent weaknesses.
Conclusions:
- Long-term physical durability of ITNs is unlikely to improve with current low resistance to damage (RD) levels.
- Urgent upgrades to textile material performance standards and incentives for developing more durable ITNs are required.
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