International Conference on Bednets - Preface
On October 29-31, 1997, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted an International Conference on Bednets and Other Insecticide-Treated Materials (ITMs) attended by 163 participants. The conference brought together a diverse group of public health practitioners, private sector representatives, and international donors from 32 different countries (22 of them in Africa), 22 commercial firms, 22 NGOs, and 10 international organizations. (See a complete list of participants.)
The conference participants came from many different places and represented a broad range of experiences, yet they were united by a shared commitment to the prevention and control of malaria, as well as an understanding that this battle is at a cross-roads, especially in Africa where the emergence of drug resistant strains of malaria and the spreading of the disease to areas previously malaria free has made prevention critical. During two and a half days the participants shared the lessons they had learned in addressing the challenge of ITMs-with special focus on their application in Africa.
Until recently, the prevention of malaria has been impeded by the lack of simple and effective tools. However, successful field trials in Africa of ITMs, such as bednets and curtains, have offered new hope. While bednets have long been used as a form of personal protection against malaria, the innovative twist of treating the materials with insecticide has been shown to contribute to a dramatic reduction in mortality.
The promise of ITMs is great, yet persons and organizations committed to reducing the disease burden of malaria are struggling with how to meet the full potential of this technology in the face of seemingly insurmountable social and economic impediments. Experience-with ITMs and other health interventionsCstrongly suggests that the success of ITM programs will depend on achieving sustained public demand for, access to, and appropriate use of affordable netting and insecticides. New models for the social marketing, behavior promotion, financing and distribution of netting and insecticides are needed. Meeting the challenge of voluntary acquisition and use also requires a re-examination of the roles and relationships of the public sector, the commercial sector, and the community.
This report is a summary of conference presentations and small group discussions and report-outs. The conference examined what we currently knowCbased on lessons learned from field experiences with ITMs or other sectors-and how best to meet the challenges of demand, access, affordability and appropriate use of ITMs.
Because this summary is limited to reporting on the conference alone and does not include information from other sources, it makes no claim to be a comprehensive treatment of the topic of ITMs. However, as you read this document, consider it as the initial input for a comprehensive handbook presently under development by USAID for use by programmers and planners on the when, where, and how of implementing an ITM program. The planned handbook will summarize our collective experience and lay out options for planners when faced with specific situations-options that have been used successfully by others under similar circumstances.
I would like to acknowledge that, in addition to USAID, nine other private-sector and donor organizations co-sponsored the conference:
| AgrEvo American Cyanamid Bayer AG Malaria Consortium Rotary Clubs Against Malaria | Siam Dutch UNICEF WHO Zeneca |
In closing, I would like to thank Dr. Sylvia Meek from the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine/Malaria Consortium for
co-moderating the conference with me.
C. Dennis Carroll, USAID
Conference Co-Moderator
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