LifeNet mosquito nets exceeds WHOPES requirements

The latest working group report of the World Health Organization Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) backs Bayer CropScience’s claims of superior effectiveness of LifeNet® mosquito nets against malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.

Following the WHOPES interim recommendation of LifeNet® in April 2011, the detailed report describes excellent efficacy of LifeNet® after 30 washes and regeneration after washing within one day. LifeNet® thereby substantially exceeds WHOPES minimum requirements of effectiveness after 20 washes.

LifeNet® is the first net to combine the well known physical strength of polypropylene with the softness of multifilament fibers and the long lasting efficacy of the active ingredient Deltamethrin – resulting in higher durability and a longer lifespan, without compromising end user acceptance and practicality. “Increasing the effective lifespan of a long lasting net is a major step towards more sustainable vector control,” said Dr. Gunnar Riemann, Member of the Bayer CropScience Executive Committee and President of the Environmental Science Division. “We are offering high value, as we provide more nights of protection per net along with extended replacement intervals – for the benefit of our stakeholders and the users of the net.”

The evaluation of LifeNet® was carried out according to the WHOPES testing requirements in field studies in Tanzania, Benin and India where pyrethroid susceptible and resistant mosquito strains were present.