Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by the Plasmoduim parasite. The malaria parasite is transmitted to the Anopheles mosquito. There are four types of plasmodium species that transmit malaria: P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. falciparum. P. Vivax is the most common cause of malaria illness and P. falciparum is the most deadly. Malaria is a disease that affects poor and developing countries in the tropics and sub-tropics around the world. There are more than 300 million cases and more than one million deaths each year. The African continent is where 90% of all clinical cases of malaria occur and 90% of all malaria deaths. A majority of the victims are pregnant women and children under 5 years of age. Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds.

More than 20% or the world’s population is affected by malaria. The disease spreads due to the combination of weak health care systems, large population movements, deteriorating sanitation, climatic changes and drug resistance. The disease costs the African continent over $12 billion in lost GDP each year and consumes 40% of all public health spending. Areas considered malaria free are now suffering death and social devastation due to an increase in epidemic outbreaks. Malaria can quickly adapt and rebound when efforts are fragmented and uncoordinated. The millions of cases and deaths that occur each year overwhelm national health services and dis-empowers societies. Malaria impedes population growth, fertility, investment and economic growth, worker productivity, premature mortality and medical costs. Malaria keeps societies poor.

In the past, malaria control was addressed mainly through large-scale residual wall spraying programs. Many of these programs lapsed because the program became too expensive to maintain. The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a new approach to combat malaria, which involves social change. Research has indicated that social change is needed to impact the disease. Once behaviors are identified that need to be changed, new technologies, such as bednets, can be incorporated.

A large bank of data exists to support the claim that insecticide treated nets (ITN’s) can substantially reduce childhood mortality in places where malaria is the major contributor to death. According to the Director of the Roll Back Malaria program (RBM), ITN’s have the potential to reduce all childhood deaths in Africa and is currently the most effective form of control. ITN’s have been shown to decrease severe malaria by 45%, reduce premature births by 42% due to malaria and cut child mortality by up to 63%. The concept of long lasting insecticide nets (LLIN) was developed to overcome issues with large re-treatment programs, insecticide run-off and other environmental concerns and resistance management problems associated with ITN programs. LLIN’s have demonstrated to last four to five years.

Clarke offers a wide range of ITN’s with various sizes, colors and impregnations to choose from.