PHA-Exchange> Latest on impegated bednets

[Claudio]

> > Long-lasting bednets to fight Africa's malaria
> > ----------------------------------------------
> > Tanzania has become the first African country to start producing 
> > a new type of long-lasting bednet that could help significantly 
> > reduce deaths from malaria, the mosquito-borne disease that kills 
> > more than a million people a year.
> >  
> > The bednets are made from specially designed polyester that in-
> > corporates insecticide into the material's molecular structure. 
> > This means that unlike conventional bednets, which need to be 
> > sprayed with insecticide every year to remain effective, the new 
> > bednets can fend off mosquitoes for more than four years without 
> > being retreated.
> >  
> > "The use of long-lasting nets brings us to a crucial point in the 
> > war against malaria," says Carol Bellamy, executive director of 
> > the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). "If we can get these 
> > kinds of nets into the homes of the people who need them most, we 
> > can take a huge stride toward stopping a disease that kills 3,000 
> > children every day."
> >  
> > An Arusha-based manufacturer, A-Z Textile Mills, has started pro-
> > ducing the new bednets with the financial support of an interna-
> > tional public-private partnership that includes UNICEF, the World 
> > Health Organisation (WHO), the New York-based organisation the 
> > Acumen Fund, and private companies. Previously, the long-lasting 
> > nets - which were designed in Japan - were manufactured only in 
> > East Asia.
> >  
> > According to the WHO, producing the nets in Africa increases 
> > their availability to those most at need, and also strengthens 
> > the development of industry in Africa. 
> >  
> > Bellamy says that more needs to be done to allow the poor to 
> > benefit from the new technology. "It is critical that this break-
> > through with long-lasting nets benefits poor families and commu-
> > nities," she says. "Reducing taxes and tariffs on material needed 
> > to produce the netting will make this possible, as well as subsi-
> > dising the cost of the new nets."