Practice 12: Use of Bed Nets

Protect children and pregnant women in malaria endemic areas by ensuring that they sleep under insecticide–treated bed nets.

• Ask the mother if she has heard about the causes and spread of malaria and dengue.
• Ask if the family sleeps under bed nets.
• Listen attentively.

• Appreciate if they are using bed nets and take safety measures. If not, try to figure out the barriers.
  • For example, they may not know how to fix the net, or may not know where to get it.
• Brainstorm and help them come up with a solution.

• Demonstrate to the family the procedure of setting a bed net.
• Demonstrate where to place or hang the net when not in use and why.
• Guide the woman on how to talk to the family about this, if they do not agree.

• In areas where Malaria is common, pregnant women and children should sleep under insecticide treated bed nets.
• Hang the net under the shade before use, or when washed.
• Wash the bed net only when dirty; washing dilutes its effect.
• Dispose of all containers and objects where water collects to prevent mosquitoes breeding.
• Mosquitoes breed in dirty stagnant water, so do not let stagnant water be around the house. Keep your house clean.