Development and Testing of "Next Generation" Mosquito Net for Control of Insecticide Resistant Mosquitoes

Malaria is a devastating parasitic disease that affects 250 million people worldwide. 90% of all deaths due to malaria are in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the use of Long-Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLIN) as the main technique to suppress mosquito populations and hence reduce malaria transmission. The use of LLIN has been successful since their launch in the early 2000s but from 2016 onwards, malaria cases have been increasing. The problem is only one type of insecticide was used to treat LLIN. This insecticide is called pyrethroid and commonly used in household insecticidal sprays. The insecticide has very mild toxic effects on human beings hence the widespread use on LLIN. The problem with using one type of insecticide is that mosquitoes have developed resistance to the pyrethroid, and this resistance is now widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the reason why malaria cases are resurgent again.