New York Times Examines Debate Over ITN Distribution Methods in Africa
The New York Times on Tuesday examined the debate over how insecticide-treated nets should be distributed in Africa. Arata Kochi, director of the World Health Organization's malaria program, has said that the "debate is at an end" and that the best way to distribute ITNs to low-income populations is to provide them at no cost. Other officials, including some affiliated with the Bush and Clinton administrations, have "long favored" distribution through social marketing campaigns, in which ITNs are sold locally at subsidized costs and consultants create name brands and advertisements, according to the Times.
Although no-cost distribution is becoming more prevalent, social marketing still is used in some cases, the Times reports. Last year, 92% of UNICEF's 25 million ITNs were provided at no cost, according to Peter Salama, medical director for UNICEF, which is the largest buyer of ITNs worldwide. Tim Ziemer, coordinator of the President's Malaria Initiative, said PMI plans to distribute more than 15 million ITNs by 2008, adding that 75% will be provided at no cost. Social marketing might be useful during periods between mass, no-cost ITN distribution campaigns, according to Trent Ruebush, a malaria expert from USAID. Peter Olumese, a medical officer with WHO's malaria program, said a recent study conducted in Kenya that found the mass distribution of no-cost ITNs resulted in a 44% decrease in the number of malaria deaths among children has created a "paradigm shift" in ITN distribution methods (Kyama/McNeil, New York Times, 10/9).
In related news, Toronto's Globe and Mail recently examined how the distribution of no-cost ITNs in Malawi is reducing the number of deaths among children younger than age five. Deaths among children younger than age five decreased by 29% between 2000 and 2004 in the country, according to the Globe and Mail (Nolen, Globe and Mail, 10/6).
