Celebrating the Distribution of 2 Billion Life-Saving Mosquito Nets

Good news alert! Today, the global malaria community is announcing that the 2 billionth mosquito net will be distributed in 2020. 

Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) represent one of the most effective investments the world has made over the past two decades to improve maternal and child health. When we talk about good news stories for global health, this intervention tops the list. 

Some data:

• Since 2000, global efforts have saved more than 7 million lives from malaria and prevented over 1 billion malaria cases. 
• Global efforts to scale up distribution and use of ITNs were responsible for approximately 68% of malaria cases prevented on the African continent since 2000.
• With thanks to partners and supporters, the Nothing But Nets campaign has distributed over 13 million bed nets and other life-saving tools to protect over 30 million of the world’s most vulnerable people- pregnant women, children under 5, and people living as refugees or who have been internally displaced. In 2019 alone, we helped distribute 160,000 bed nets, supported the distribution of 187,000 diagnostic tests and over 323,000 anti-malarial treatments, helping to protect over 2.4 million people from malaria. 
• Also in 2019, in a challenging political and budgetary climate, our partners and grassroots champions from across the U.S. successfully advocated for a $210 million increase in funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and a $15 million increase for the President’s Malaria Initiative. Together, GF and PMI have provided more than 1.5 billion bed nets- the lion share of the 2B milestone- and these recent increases will enable them to save millions of more lives over the next three years.  
• Our work is not done. Too many pregnant women and children under 5 are still at risk -- almost 40% of the pregnant women and children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa at risk of malaria sleep without an ITN.