Resources

Reports that insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are not meeting the three-year standard for efficacy have generated ongoing concern around the physical and insecticidal durability of nets. Durability depends on many factors that span the lifecycle of an ITN and includes the standards used in evaluating a new ITN product, quality assurance processes during manufacturing, and ways in which an ITN is used and cared for in people’s homes. Here, we focus on this final component: the use and care of the ITN in people’s homes, specifically as it relates to net washing.
To review assumptions around washing and to characterize washing practices across different settings, we conducted a secondary analysis of data collected during ITN durability monitoring (DM) studies. From the DM data, we estimated net washing frequencies across countries. We examined household factors that may impact washing frequency and what impact, if any, washing has on net survival in households. We also summarized practices relating to the use of soaps and detergents and drying of nets.