Emma Pomfret
Media & Communications Manager, Malaria No More
Elizabeth George Kepha, 33, lives in Misungwi, a town in the Mwanza region of Tanzania, and is nine months pregnant. Raising her family alone, she finds a life-changing way to avoid malaria and improve the welfare of her children.
Elizabeth lives with her sister and her two children Helen Joseph, 8, and Elliot Joseph, 4. In 2019, she received Interceptor® G2 mosquito nets, developed by BASF; a next-generation net which has been shown to reduce malaria incidence by 44% to 46% compared with standard nets.
Reducing malaria cases
By 2022, the initiative had distributed over 35 million nets across 13 countries, protecting an estimated 63 million people and averting millions of malaria cases.
The distribution was part of the New Nets Project, a four-year consortium led by British-based IVCC to obtain a World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation. The project is funded by Unitaid and the Global Fund.
“My husband and I are no longer together, and I support my children alone. Before the new nets arrived, we would sometimes have two episodes of malaria each month. This could cost between $40 to $70 per month, depending on how serious the case was.”
Before the new nets arrived, we would sometimes have two episodes of malaria each month.
Prioritising health and education
“For a single mother, this is a lot of money that could have been spent on school fees or buying stock for the small shop I have set up to support us. During my previous pregnancies, I had to take drugs in case I got malaria; and it affected the baby. Now, I am not taking anything because we can rely on the new nets — and I feel much healthier. I am nine months pregnant now, and I am sure this time that the new baby will be safe and protected from malaria,” says Elizabeth.
“These new bed nets have made a big difference — the children have not had malaria for eight months, and I’m no longer spending money on treating it. Instead, I can afford private school fees for the children. I have also been able to buy a plot of land to build our own house, and our future is looking much brighter.”