Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have become the cornerstone of malaria prevention efforts over the past two decades, and their widespread use has played a major role in preventing the disease and saving lives. Since 2000, global malaria control efforts, including through ITN campaigns, have prevented more than 2 billion cases of malaria and nearly 13 million deaths.
Despite some progress, malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in many areas have developed resistance to the insecticides commonly used in insecticide-treated bed nets, particularly pyrethroids, reducing their effectiveness and undermining progress in malaria prevention. This growing threat has prompted researchers to accelerate the development of new bed nets that provide longer-lasting protection against malaria.
In 2017, WHO recommended the first insecticide-treated bed net designed to be more effective against pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes. While this was an important step forward, further innovation is needed to develop dual-action insecticide-treated bed nets, evaluate their effectiveness against insecticide-resistant mosquitoes and their impact on malaria transmission, and assess their cost-effectiveness.
Published ahead of World Malaria Day 2025, this visual highlights the research, development and deployment of dual-insecticide-treated nets (DINETs) – the result of years of collaboration between countries, communities, manufacturers, funders and a range of global, regional and national partners.
In 2018, Unitaid and the Global Fund launched the New Nets project, led by the Coalition for Innovative Vector Control in close collaboration with national malaria programmes and other partners, including the US President’s Malaria Initiative, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and MedAccess, to support evidence generation and pilot projects to accelerate the transition to dual-insecticide-treated bed nets in sub-Saharan Africa to address pyrethroid resistance.
The networks were first installed in Burkina Faso in 2019, and in subsequent years in Benin, Mozambique, Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania to test how the networks perform in different conditions.
By the end of 2022, the New Mosquito Nets project, in partnership with the Global Fund and the US President’s Malaria Initiative, will have installed more than 56 million mosquito nets in 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa where insecticide resistance has been documented.
Clinical trials and pilot studies have shown that nets containing dual-action insecticides improve malaria control rates by 20–50% compared to standard nets containing pyrethrins only. In addition, clinical trials in the United Republic of Tanzania and Benin have shown that nets containing pyrethrins and chlorfenapyr significantly reduce malaria infection rates in children aged 6 months to 10 years.
Scaling up the deployment and monitoring of next-generation mosquito nets, vaccines and other innovative technologies will require continued investment in malaria control and elimination programmes, including ensuring replenishment of the Global Fund and the Gavi Vaccine Alliance.
In addition to new bed nets, researchers are developing a range of innovative vector control tools, such as space repellents, lethal home baits (curtain rod tubes), and genetically engineered mosquitoes.
Post time: Jul-08-2025