Malaria is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It still kills more than 400,000 people each year, largely in the tropics and subtropics. For babies, children, and their caregivers who are most vulnerable to infection, malaria prevention is vital. Preventing malaria is best done using a combination of methods, but one of the simplest is by using bed nets. In particular, insecticide-treated nets, known as ITNs, will help to protect your family from malaria. This comprehensive guide will explain how bed nets work and why they are effective, as well as provide some practical advice on how to use them.
Understanding Malaria and Its Risks
To follow up on the use of bed nets, it helps to first understand the disease. Malaria is a parasite infection spread by mosquitoes. It can cause general symptoms such as high fever, chills, and flu-like illness. In children, complications of malaria, such as anemia and cerebral malaria, can become serious life-threatening conditions without immediate treatment. Pregnant women have higher risks of severe malaria infection and may develop complications such as pregnancy loss, premature delivery, and low birth weight.
How Bed Nets Work
As the name suggests their role is to provide a physical barrier between you and the mosquitoes as you sleep. Here’s how they work:
- Physical Barrier: the mesh of the net per se physically cuts off your entry into the mosquitoes. High-quality nets are tightly mesh woven, ensuring that no mosquitos can pass through, including even the smallest ones.
- Insecticide Treatment: Still other bed nets are insecticide-treated with the very same pyrethroid-based chemicals used on crops and in indoor spaces in just the right concentrations to be effective as repellents while not being a health problem for us. In some nets, the insecticide, like permethrin, has been carefully applied so that it lasts for many years when the net is properly cared for.
- Durability: ITNs are designed to withstand repeated washing and are consequently durable, if well maintained.
Benefits of Using Bed Nets
Using bed nets offers a range of benefits, especially for families:
- Highly effective protection: ITNs provide a physical barrier against mosquitoes, preventing malaria transmission which is almost exclusively nocturnal.
- Cost-Effective: Bed nets are relatively cheap to buy, after which they offer a high-impact, low-cost preventive measure.
- Ease of use and maintenance: Bed nets are easy to put up over beds or sleeping places and it takes very little time or effort to maintain their effectiveness.
- Safe for the children: Bed nets are most effective for the most vulnerable, children. Young children are the group that suffers most from the severe consequences of malaria, and so a bed net contributes to a safe sleeping environment that can prevent mosquito bites.
Choosing the Right Bed Net
When selecting a bed net, consider the following factors to ensure optimal protection:
Area: It should be large enough to completely cover the bed (sleeper and the mattress) as well as the surrounding space up to a couple of meters in any direction where mosquitoes could potentially land.
Type: There are two main types of bed nets:
- Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs): These are pre-treated with insecticides and provide long-lasting protection.
- Nets Without Holes: These nets are not holed and work well, provided they are treated with an appropriate insecticide.
- Material: Bed nets are generally made out of polyester or nylon. Make sure the mesh is fine enough to prevent mosquitoes but also strong and breathable.
- Check that the mosquito net will be easy to install and maintain. Some nets have hanging kits with pre-attached wires for fastening to the ceiling or come with a frame (see below). Some nets come with a hanging kit and a preformed frame for additional ease of use. Safety: There have been reports of deaths associated with blackout nets because they are mounted so close to the bed. Make sure that the net is not asphyxiating and restricting airflow or that the possibility is not there.
Installing and Maintaining Bed Nets
Proper installation and maintenance are crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of bed nets:
Installation:
Hang it from somewhere above the bed or sleeping area, so it hangs down to the floor all around.
Make sure the net is taut so that it doesn’t have any holes through which mosquitoes can fly in. Either use hooks to secure the net or put a tie in it.
Maintenance:
Make sure that this is done regularly to check for holes and tears that will allow mosquitoes to work their way through.
Wash in warm water using cold-water soap and rinse well following the instructions indicated on the net or the packet. The use of warm water and cold-water soap will not affect the insecticide. Overwashing or the use of hot or soapy water or strong detergents will reduce the effectiveness of the insecticide caught in the net.
Re-treatment:
After a few years, ITNs become less effective, either because they get worn out or because the insecticide coating has worn away. It’s fine to re-treat your net with the appropriate insecticide if you can, or use a replacement.
Educating Families About Malaria Prevention
The best weapon against malaria is public awareness and education: here is how you can inform your family and community.
You have to repeat many times that malaria is dangerous and might kill. Beware of its symptoms. If not treated early, malaria parasites can affect the brain, causing convulsions and even death. Or, using longer sentences: You have to explain again and again that malaria is a dangerous disease that attacks the human organism and can kill it. One should avoid its symptoms. If, out of ignorance, someone fails to take action and, for example, does not seek care in good time, the malaria parasites can later infect the brain with convulsions that will cause death.
Proper Use: Display for family members how to use bed nets properly and how to maintain them. Emphasize the use of bed nets nightly, especially for children and during pregnancy.
Get involved in the community: Tell your neighbors and other local groups about bed nets and malaria prevention Attempting to combat malaria as a community can increase overall protection and lower the incidence of the disease.
Complementary Malaria Prevention Measures
Bed nets are a life-saver, but adding them to other preventive measures increases protection:
- Apply insect repellents on exposed skin, particularly in the evening hours when mosquitoes are more prevalent.
- Remove Water That Is Standing: Mosquitoes need standing water in which to breed. Eliminate sources of breeding by removing standing water from the property.
- Cover up: When outdoors, wear clothing that covers arms and legs to limit skin exposure to mosquitoes.
- Get Medical Advice: If you or any of your household have symptoms of malaria, seek medical attention urgently. Diagnosis and treatment early are critical.
By getting a bed net, you can protect yourself and your family from malaria in an easy, powerful new way: what it does, why to use it, what kind to buy, and how to keep it in good shape. Used together with other simple preventative methods and community education, bed nets can protect you and your family from malaria. They can also contribute toward a broader effort to end malaria in the world.
