Author(s) :

YEWON JUN.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Malaria remains a major global health challenge, with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bearing the highest burden. Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have been widely distributed as an effective intervention to prevent malaria transmission. However, the effectiveness of ITNs varies across regions. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between ITN distribution and malaria incidents and deaths, comparing trends in SSA and the Rest of the World (ROW) over the past two decades. Using comparative data analysis, malaria incidents and deaths from 2004 to 2023 were collected and categorized into two groups (SSA and ROW) based on classifications from The Alliance for Malaria Prevention. Pearson correlation models were used to assess the relationship between ITN distribution and incidents of malaria and malaria related deaths. Lag models were used to evaluate the delayed impact of ITN distribution. Contrary to findings suggesting that ITNs reduce malaria cases by over 50%, SSA revealed a significant increase in malaria cases despite increased ITN distribution (r = 0.5996, p < 0.01). In contrast, ROW showed a strong negative correlation (r = -0.7358, p < 0.01), indicating that ITNs were effective in reducing malaria cases in non-SSA regions. However, ITN distribution was significantly correlated with a reduction in deaths in both SSA (r = -0.8254, p < 0.01) and ROW (r = -0.7314, p < 0.01) demonstrating a strong negative correlation. Lag models confirmed that the impact of ITNs remained for up to 5 years. While ITN distribution effectively reduces malaria deaths, its impact on malaria incidence remains inconsistent in SSA.