A treated net is the cheapest medicine in Cameroon, and most of its value is lost to four small mistakes. None of them are about the net being old.
Hanging it
- Hang it so it covers the whole sleeping place, with slack at the top rather than pulled tight against you. A mosquito bites through a net pressed on your skin.
- Tuck every side under the mattress or the mat before you lie down.
- Check for holes each month. Sew them shut with any thread. A small hole is worth repairing, not replacing.
Washing it
- Wash it only when it is dirty, and no more than about three times a year.
- Cold water, mild soap, gentle hands. No brushing, no bleach, no hot water.
- Dry it in the shade, flat or hanging. Direct sun destroys the treatment faster than washing does.
Who should be under it
Everyone, every night. If there are not enough nets, the order is pregnant women first, then children under five, then everybody else. Children sleeping on a mat in another room need one as much as the bed does.
The mistakes that undo it
- Using the net for fishing, for the garden, or as a curtain. It is a common sight and it is why the household then has none.
- Only hanging it in the rainy season. Transmission continues all year in most of the country.
- Sleeping outside the net on hot nights. Those are the nights with the most mosquitoes.
