ITN and LLIN and Pesticide Use—RBM Partnership, WHO, and Related Guidelines, Statements, and Consensus Documents
This toolkit addresses the key recommendations regarding ITNs and LLINs, use of pesticides on mosquito nets, and mosquito net materials. These information sheets, guidance documents, and strategy frameworks can help national malaria programs as they plan, seek resources for, and implement their LLIN programs.
This toolkit includes the following tools:
Insecticide-Treated Mosquito Nets: A Position Statement, WHO
This WHO/Global Malaria Programme (WHO/GMP) position statement describes a shift in guidance on malaria prevention through the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs). For the first time, WHO recommends that insecticidal nets be long-lasting, and distributed either free or highly subsidized and used by all community members.
A Strategic Framework for Coordinated National Action: Scaling Up Insecticide-treated Netting Programmes in Africa, Working Group for Scaling-up Insecticide-treated Netting
This document is intended to share ideas and provoke strategic thinking regarding methods for strengthening the health system, facilitating commercial distribution of insecticide-treated nets, and achieving access of the most vulnerable populations to insecticide-treated netting
Technical consultation on specifications and quality control of netting materials and mosquito nets – WHO (2005)
This is a summary of the technical consultation on specifications and quality control of netting materials and mosquito nets; 29 November – 2 December 2005 and provides updated WHO specifications for netting materials and mosquito nets
Insecticides for Treatment of Mosquito Nets, WHO Recommended List
List of WHO-recommended insecticides for treatment of mosquito nets for malaria vector control, including formulation and dosage of insecticides
- WHO-recommended long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets
- WHO-recommended insecticides for treatment of mosquito nets for malaria vector control
Consensus statement on the use of wash-resistant insecticide treatment kits as an interim strategy (2007): RBM Working Group for Scalable Malaria Vector Control (WIN) and WHO Global Malaria Programme
This is a 1-page consensus statement regarding the use of LLINs (per WHOPES standards) and retreatment kits for those mosquito nets in need of retreatment
RBM Partnership consensus statement on insecticide-treated netting and indoor residual spraying (2004):
This 1-page consensus statement summarizes the position of the WHO Region for Africa (AFRO) for use of ITNs (and LLINs per more recent updates) and IRS
RBM Partnership statement on the use of ITNs in pregnancy (2004); from the RBM Malaria in Pregnancy Working Group
This 1-page consensus statement summarizes the position on using ITNs (now LLINs) for prevention of malaria in pregnancy – particularly in areas of moderate to high malaria transmission
Manuscript describing the evidence for coverage of entire populations with ITNs or LLINs to achieve optimal protection of vulnerable groups. Preventing childhood malaria in Africa by protecting adults from mosquitoes with insecticide-treated nets, by Killeen GF et al, PLOS Medicine 4: 1246-1258 (2007)
It concludes: "Coverage of entire populations will be required to accomplish large reductions of the malaria burden in Africa. While coverage of vulnerable groups should still be prioritized, the equitable and communal benefits of wide-scale ITN use by older children and adults should be explicitly promoted and evaluated by national malaria control programmes. ITN use by the majority of entire populations could protect all children in such communities, even those not actually covered by achieving existing personal protection targets of the MDG, Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and the US President’s Malaria Initiative."
Key sites for further information include:
- WHO/GMP: Insecticide-treated materials (ITNs)
- RBM Partnership Working Group for Scalable Malaria Vector Control (WIN)
- Tool Designer Organization:
- WHO, RBM Partnership
- Contact:
- INFORBM
Summary of main features
- Purpose
- Provides the essential reference tools for considering the national program’s approach to use of ITNs and LLINs and retreatment of mosquito nets and their deployment in populations
- Scope of interventions
- This toolkit contains guidelines and consensus statements addressing the main areas for consideration for ITN and LLIN use in malaria-endemic countries
- Limitations
- This toolkit provides guidelines and consensus statements and summary material to help malaria control programs, but significant time and effort are required at the country level to develop the national plans and partnerships required for a solid national approach to malaria prevention with LLINs/ITNs
- Output
- Provides background materials to justify program choices, but the in-country work is required for final LLIN/ITN plans
- Time frame
- The materials represent relatively recent updates and consensus statements; malaria control programs should be able to review and incorporate the key principles in their national strategies with relative ease and a short time investment
- Potential users
- Country coordinating mechanisms (CCMs) and national malaria control programme partnerships
- Skills required
- In-country consensus, strategy, and proposal development skills will be useful
- Type of software
- Adobe PDF, MS Word
- User manual available
- NA
- Type and length of training required
- None
- Available languages
- English
- Country applications
- Most materials were developed in working group meetings that have engaged country program managers and their staff. As these refer to prevention strategies that are most valuable for areas of moderate to high malaria transmission, some countries will need to review their relevance to settings with much less malaria transmission and with vectors that may not be primarily night-time and indoor-biting mosquitoes
- Last update and version
- December 2008