1 Dollar mosquito bednet - your opinion please (4)
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Source: malaria@wehi.edu.au
A colleague here, Yomi Aina, has tried to dip a "$1 net" - and could-
n't. The thing apparently is not wettable - the surface repels the in-
secticide emulsion, which is not absorbed at all and just "falls off
like water off a duck's back". Could be a bit of a problem, this....
By the way, I was a little bemused by the discussions about quality,
and about the attitude that "we" (presumably the public health commu-
nity) should have about it. In my view, the decision is up to the peo-
ple who pay - and if we are asking punters to pay, then we should leave
the decision to them. In other words, let the market decide. In my ex-
perience, even people who have never used a net are well aware of qual-
ity issues, and are perfectly capable of expressing a preference.
So for example in Tanzania, one major net manufacturer has sometimes
been criticised by members of the "public health community" because
this manufacturer makes round nets, not the rectangular nets that have
been used in the big trials. I think this is unjustified. As the manu-
facturer points out, many users (though not all) would also prefer
square nets if they cost the same, but they don't. Round nets need less
material, and this makes them cheaper, which is the key consideration
for most people. Since 1993, this manufacturer has more or less single
handedly transformed the net market in Tanzania. During the 1980s,
there was little commercial activity in the net market in Tanzania,
just as there still is nowadays in most other African countries. Since
then, this manufacturer has sold more than a million (round) nets into
the retail market (not projects), and is now selling more than half a
million every year. In other words, this one factory has independently
put more nets into Tanzania than the combined total distributed by all
the public health projects that have ever taken place in that country.
In view of this achievement, we should be applauding the efforts of
this manufacturer, not complaining.
I would say the same to the makers of the $1 net - let the market de-
cide!
J Lines
mailto:jo.lines@lshtm.ac.uk
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