Health Programs

Malaria Control Program

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14 July 2008
The Carter Center Expresses New Concerns In Response to Announced Mining Contract Renegotiations by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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What is the importance of bed net distribution?
 
The vast majority of malaria transmission occurs at night.  Bed nets have been used for centuries to provide a barrier against mosquito biting, thereby reducing the chance of exposure to malaria.  In the 1980s, it was discovered that treating these nets with a safe insecticide improved the level of protection against malaria, since the nets then also killed and repelled insects. The drawback at that time was that the nets had to be re-treated with the insecticide every six months to remain effective, which was hard to achieve in countries with poor infrastructure.  A huge breakthrough in the late 1990s was the development of long-lasting insecticidal nets, which are factory treated before distribution and will remain effective for the life of the net (up to seven years). 
 
The goal of the Carter Center's Malaria Control Program is to provide long-lasting impregnated bed nets to as many at-risk Ethiopians as we can in the areas where we are assisting.   Millions will benefit.