Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38218962›Full record

ArticleMalaria journal2024

Physical durability: are bed nets getting any stronger?

Amy Wheldrake, Estelle Guillemois, Hamidreza Arouni, Vera Chetty, Edoardo Zappa, Stephen J Russell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Malaria journal, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Durability study of VeeralinParasites & vectors · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Amy WheldrakeNonwovens Innovation & Research Institute Ltd, Innovation House, Gibraltar Island Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1RJ, UK.
Estelle GuillemoisNonwovens Innovation & Research Institute Ltd, Innovation House, Gibraltar Island Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1RJ, UK.
Hamidreza ArouniNonwovens Innovation & Research Institute Ltd, Innovation House, Gibraltar Island Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1RJ, UK.
Vera ChettyNonwovens Innovation & Research Institute Ltd, Innovation House, Gibraltar Island Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1RJ, UK.
Edoardo ZappaNonwovens Innovation & Research Institute Ltd, Innovation House, Gibraltar Island Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1RJ, UK.
Stephen J RussellNonwovens Innovation & Research Institute Ltd, Innovation House, Gibraltar Island Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1RJ, UK. stephenr@nonwovens-innovation.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFor at least a decade, concerns have been raised about the physical durability of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and their ability to remain in good condition for at least three years. To discover if the resistance to damage (RD) of ITNs has improved or not, the RD scores of ITNs sampled in 2013 and 2020 were compared.

methodsThe RD scores and disaggregated textile performance data for nine ITNs recommended by the WHO pesticide evaluation scheme (WHOPES) measured in 2013 were compared with WHO-prequalified ITNs sampled in 2020. This included assessment of newer ITNs not available in 2013, to determine the extent to which product development has led to performance improvements across all available ITNs in the intervening years.

resultsThe resistance to damage of ITNs has not generally improved from 2013 to 2020, and in some cases performance is worse. The average RD score of comparable ITNs brands decreased from 40 in 2013 to 36 in 2020. Of the nets available in 2020, only two of the twenty-four ITN products tested achieved an RD score of > 50, while six ITNs had very low RD scores of < 30, highlighting a serious inherent, and literal weakness in many WHO-prequalified ITNs.

conclusionsThe long-term physical durability of ITN products cannot be expected to improve while their resistance to damage remains so low, and major upgrades to the performance standards of textile materials used to make ITNs, as well as incentives to develop stronger ones are urgently required.

Indexed as

InsecticidesInsecticide-Treated BednetsMalariaHumansMosquito ControlInsecticidesDurabilityLong-lasting insecticidal mosquito netsPhysical integrityResistance to damage

Identifiers

PMID38218962
PMCPMC10787957

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.