Research shows that insecticide-treated mosquito nets, the mainstay in the global battle against malaria, are not providing the protection they once did — and scientists say that’s a cause for serious concern in tropical and subtropical countries around the globe.

Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets, or LLINs, are credited with having saved 6.8 million lives from 2000 to 2015.

«While an untreated net stops mosquitoes from biting you while you sleep — providing valuable protection — these nets are treated with a long-life insecticide that actually kills mosquitoes that come in contact with them,» said Dr Stephan Karl, a malaria researcher from James Cook University’s Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, and the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research.

«LLINs add a community-level protective effect by massively decreasing the overall number of mosquitoes. In other words, even people not directly using these nets benefit by their being present in the communities,» Dr Karl said.

The introduction of LLINs in Papua New Guinea in 2006 led to a significant drop in malaria cases, but the rate of infections has since bounced back — from less than 1% in 2013-2014 to 7.1% in 2016-2017.

«The nets are really a frontline defence — in Papua New Guinea they are the only tools used at present in the national campaign against the mosquitoes that can carry malaria,» said co-author Dr Moses Laman, Deputy Director at the PNG Institute of Medical Research.

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Materials provided by James Cook University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.