Mosquito nets

Supply Division has played a pivotal role in the global Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership since its launch in 1998. One of the most effective strategies in malaria prevention is the provision of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) to all pregnant women, and children under the age of five. The supply of treated nets to sub-Saharan African countries has been one of the Division’s priorities in recent years.

A significant increase in the number of nets procured, up 41 per cent on 2003 to 7.3 million nets in 2004, reflects this commitment. Of particular note is the extraordinary growth in the procurement of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), increasing threefold in 2004. For the first time, in 2004 UNICEF purchased more LLINs (59 per cent of the total) than untreated nets. Standards are essential for quality control, to protect and benefit users, and UNICEF follows WHO specifications strictly for netting materials and insecticides. UNICEF procured a total of $29 million worth of bednets and insecticide in 2004.

UNICEF estimates that 30 to 40 million LLINs will be required annually for the next five years. Only 13 million are currently being produced every year. However, plans to scale up production, and new technologies in the pipeline such as a home treatment kit that can transform an ordinary net into a LLIN, could help improve these figures.

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