The new PermaNet 3.0 mosquito nets are expected to be more effective than previous models in
two ways: they contain an ingredient that increases efficacy of the insecticide and they have
stronger sides to improve durability. The Zambian distribution in September will be part of a
three-year study conducted to evaluate the nets on user acceptability, longevity and durability of
nets, as well as insecticide resistance over time.

Vestergaard\u2019s PermaNet 3.0 has been tested in areas of Burkina Faso and Cameroon, where it was found to kill significantly more mosquitoes than PermaNet 2.0, the previous generation of insecticide-treated bed nets. Dr. Mark Maire, an infectious disease specialist with the Christian humanitarian agency World Vision, says such tools are desperately needed to control the spread of malaria in hard-hit regions.

\u201cThe femaleAnopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria feed almost exclusively at night. As
they attempt to reach someone sleeping under a treated bed net, the mosquitoes are exposed to
the insecticide, which will kill them,\u201d Dr. Maire explained. \u201cIf enough households in a
community are sleeping under long-lasting insecticidal nets, it will knock down the area\u2019s
mosquito population and protect the whole community.

\u201cThere is clear evidence that if 80 percent of a community sleeps under such nets, malaria cases will significantly decrease, and deaths in children under the age of five will drop by 20 percent or more,\u201d said Maire.

Malaria is the fourth leading cause of death for children younger than five in the developing world and is among the top two killers of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Roughly half of the world\u2019s population is at risk of contracting the disease.

The nets contain two chemicals instead of one: Deltamethrin is combined with a synergist
to increase the insecticide\u2019s activity, making protection more effective even against
pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes,

World Vision, which works in 63 malaria-endemic countries, launched its End Malaria campaign last year in part to help raise support for distributing bed nets throughout Africa and elsewhere in the world.