Policy & Advocacy

 
NetWorks partners with the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partnership specifically with the Vector Control Working Group (VCWG) and The Alliance for Malaria Prevention (AMP) to adopt and disseminate policy recommendations.
 
NetWorks plays an important role for developing and promoting appropriate policies at both the international and national levels to encourage sustained, high levels of ITN and related technologies ownership and use.  NetWorks strategy for developing and promoting appropriate policies focuses on three themes: continuous distribution, mass campaigns and net Integrity.
 
Mass Campaigns and Continuous Distribution Policy
 
The NetWorks project has worked closely with the Programme National de Lutte contre le Paludisme (PNLP) in Senegal on the design and implementation of mass and continuous distribution systems, and with the NMCP in Nigeria on post-campaign evaluations that build the evidence base around integrated and stand-alone campaigns. NetWorks published an important paper on how to quantify the number of LLINs needed for mass campaign distribution. In addition, NetWorks has played a lead role in developing the Consensus Statement on Continuous Distribution from the Roll Back Malaria Vector Control Working Group's Continuous LLIN Distribution Systems Work Stream. This statement provides the rationale for countries to invest in developing long-term sustainable distribution channels to ensure that households have access to new and replacement nets once mass distributions have achieved scale-up.
 
In 2011 and 2012 NetWorks facilitated the writing and publication of a series of documents that will help guide strategic planning and implementation. Continuous distribution includes but is not limited to routine distribution via ANC and EPI; it can also include school and community based distributions that are ongoing in nature, in order to maintain coverage in post-campaign scenarios.
 
Net Integrity
  • Facilitator Guide: LLIN Hole Assessment in Household Surveys (PDF 1.6MB)
  • Training Slides: LLIN Hole Assessment Training for Surveyors (PowerPoint 2.5MB)
  • Net Hole Assessment Training Surveyor Job Aid NetWorks / Malaria Consortium et al. (PDF 1.8MB)
  • Rodents as a threat to the durability of mosquito nets for malaria prevention: what is known and what is to be done? (2013) (PDF 445KB)

Continuous Distribution

 
Mass Campaigns

NetWorks has worked with campaign implementers and researchers to develop articles and reports to improve planning and implementation of mass campaigns.

  • Estimating population access to insecticide-treated nets from administrative data: correction factor is needed (Malaria Journal, 2013)

  • Planning long lasting insecticide treated net campaigns: should households’ existing nets be taken into account? (Parasites & Vectors, 2013)

Recommendations for the quantification and allocation of long-lasting insecticidal nets for mass campaigns - How many mosquito nets are needed to achieve universal coverage? (Malaria Journal, 2010)

Checklist on LLIN mass distribution for Program Managers and Independent Observers Second Edition 2012 (PDF 1.4MB)

Experiences in LLIN Urban Distribution Campaigns Stakeholder Review March 2013 (PDF 411KB)

 

Continuing Global Commitment

Sustaining Fragile Gains: The Need to Maintain Coverage with Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets for Malaria Control and Likely Implications of Not Doing So (PLoSOne, 2013) (PDF 493KB)