Perceived causes of net damage
The reported causes of net damage included daily or improper use of nets, the act of sleeping restlessly or with too many people under a net, the act of hanging a net, negligent behaviour with the net, the actions of children, washing the net, the environment surrounding the net, pests, and wear and tear associated with net repair. Results regarding the most noteworthy causes of damage are presented below.
Daily/improper net use
The reported primary source of net damage, across all regions, was daily and/or improper net use. ‘Improper use’ included pulling the net too tight while hanging it, having too many people sleeping under a net, not properly untucking it and storing it during the day, and other actions such as being too rough with the net, that could result in net damage. Pulling nets too tightly or roughly, or tearing them on the bed in the process, was mentioned as an especially problematic cause of damage.
R6: Maybe if it is not well tucked in? And the fact of not arranging it/putting it away when waking up, leaving it always hung up, or perhaps when you move too much while sleeping. These may tear the net.
R5: The people who kick around a lot while sleeping. The net, if you respect it, it won’t tear.
- FGD participants, Kedougou urban, male
Sometimes damage was caused by not caring for or repairing a net, while some respondents labelled damage as being caused by “negligence”. Many respondents generally considered that damage to nets may be reflective of the way a person lives his or her life. These participants noted that there is a social judgment that accompanies a torn net.
R: If you are negligent, the net may be torn because if you have children who cannot stay calm, they can pull the net and destroy it. That’s why you should not be negligent. Everything related to health should not be neglected.
- FGD respondent, Thies urban, female
Role of children
Children were frequently blamed for causing damage to nets, either while playing in and around nets and sleeping spaces during the day, or sleeping restlessly at night. Children, as a cause of net damage, were a theme that emerged in every region. Participants reported that children do not understand that nets are fragile and that they can be easily damaged during playing.
R: Yes, sometimes the children play with (the nets)
R: In general, it’s the main cause, meaning they play with the net, they take an object because they are thoughtless
R: They may destroy the net without realizing it. If they do not care…that may wear out the nets and make them unusable.
- IDI respondent, Saint Louis urban
Over/under washing
Washing a net too frequently was seen as a way to damage a net; at the same time, not washing a net often enough was also seen as potentially damaging. Respondents noted that once nets were washed, they could also be torn on fences and door jams when hung to dry.
Structural causes of net damage
In Kedougou and Kolda, respondents cited their beds or mattresses as being major causes of net damage, especially if they used or slept on bamboo beds. These participants suggested that the nets frequently get caught on the rough ends of the bamboo and that the construction of the bamboo bed contributed to tears and snags.
R: Well, frequently it’s the beds, honestly. There are bamboo beds like that. It’s the beds made from bamboo raffés.
E: Raffé, ok.
R: Yes, the bamboo raffé beds. So if we have beds like that and you put down a net, it’s from there that the tears will come. When you put it under the mattress, during the night you will move, it pulls, how do I say this, the attachment point that also may be the origin of the tears.
- IDI respondent, Kedougou urban
Some respondents stated that where a net is stored, both seasonally or during the day, could result in damage to nets. Participants suggested that the damage during storage could occur due to mice and other pests or from snagging the net on a nail or other sharp object.
In Dakar and Saint Louis, respondents mentioned sleeping outdoors as potentially damaging to nets, due to the frequent moving of a net to an outdoor sleeping space or being caught in the rain while sleeping outdoors and needing to quickly get inside.
Weather and seasonal/environmental factors
Weather-related factors were also perceived to contribute to net degradation. This included the role of the sun in damaging nets, both generally and in terms of being laid to dry in the sun after washing. Some mentioned that due to seasonal changes, especially in urban areas, mosquitoes can be found year-round, rather than just a few months a year in the rural areas. This causes people to need to use their nets year-round, and this consistent use of nets contributed to their degradation.
More specifically, the sun was often seen as contributing to damage, but this was only discussed in Saint Louis and Louga and not throughout the country. Some acknowledged that drying the net in the sun after washing may cause damage.
R: Yes, it also happens that once you attach it, if you are lazy instead of taking off the net, you leave it in the sun, until the sun beats down on it, that may also fatigue the nets. The sun fatigues mosquito nets. Ok, in fact, the sun, if someone is exposed, as a person, you see the effects…The effects that happen to a person are the same for objects.
- IDI respondent, St. Louis urban
Other causes of damage
A minority of respondents discussed damage caused from pests, including mice, rats and insects. Finally, a few respondents discussed repairing nets as a way of further damaging them, or perceived that net repair was a never-ending pursuit.
R: When you sew with thread and a needle, the thread will create a hole as well so there’s no reason to sew it. The needle creates holes, that’s why I took down my net because there was not sense. It only provokes other holes to sew with a needle. Myself, to repair (nets) I put another piece of fabric over my net (old net) but the problem is that it’s hot…and the heat is not good.
- IDI respondent, Thies urban
Net care
Participants were asked about how they take care of their nets. In addition to washing and repairing nets, respondents mentioned properly hanging and storing nets, retreating nets with insecticide, avoiding sharp objects, and the seasonal non-use of nets.
Net care motivations
Many respondents said it is important to take care of a net because it is the net that protects them from sickness and from mosquito nuisance. Respondents cited health benefits, cost savings from averting illness, and sleeping well at night as benefits that resulted from a well cared for or intact net. Respondents discussed protection from malaria as the primary reason for caring for one’s net.
To take care of a net is to take care of yourself because it protects you from malaria and other illnesses. It protects you in that mosquitoes, flies and germs cannot touch you. For me, to take care of a mosquito net is to protect oneself.
- IDI respondent, Fatick rural
A few respondents noted that while they had recently received a net in a distribution, it was unclear when they would receive nets again and therefore they felt that they had to care for the ones that they had.
Net storage
Hanging and storing nets in the “proper manner” was the most commonly mentioned way to care for a net. Respondents in all regions said that nets should be tied up when not in use, or even removed and stored in a bag or a cupboard. Since children were mentioned as a major source of net damage, storing the nets to keep them from playing in or pulling on the nets was considered very important. Respondents said that nets should be put down only during sleeping and then tied up or folded immediately.
R: If you sleep there until morning, you hang it up. Avoid bringing it down during the day.
- IDI respondent, Dakar rural
Net washing
Many respondents discussed washing their nets but ideas of how to do this correctly varied greatly. Most respondents mentioned that nets should be washed “when they become dirty”. The dirt was often said to be a result of dust and was even thought by some to be unsafe for their families. Some respondents said that having a dirty net could transmit disease itself. Others mentioned that dirt could make the nets fragile. These respondents, therefore, mentioned that nets should be washed very frequently.
If the mosquito net stays for a long time without being washed, the dirt is one thing that tears the nets. If you don’t wash nets enough, they tear very quickly. If the mosquito net is clean, it doesn’t tear very quickly, it can remain useful for years.
- IDI respondent, Kolda rural
Other respondents, however, expressed concern for the well being of the net due to repeated washings. These respondents reported that nets should not be frequently washed in order to preserve the insecticide and/or the physical integrity of the net.
Because when you have a mosquito net and you hang it for a month…two months…three, four months, the dust settles above and you have to take it to wash and dry it…that causes lots of holes in the mosquito net.
- IDI respondent, Kedougou urban
Most respondents mentioned net washing frequencies in between these two extremes. Many respondents mentioned that they washed their nets with Omo, a detergent, and fewer mentioned the use of soap and bleach. Since WHOPES criteria are based on the use of regular soap, it is unknown whether the use of Omo, or other harsh detergents may further reduce bio-efficacy of insecticide.
In the sleeping space questionnaire, respondents were asked to report on how frequently they washed the net associated with a given sleeping space. One third of all nets (35.9%) had reportedly never been washed. The majority of nets in Ziguinchor (73.9%), Louga (67.0%) and Dakar (58.1%) were reported to have never been washed. Ziguinchor and Louga had benefited from the universal coverage campaign most recently, in 2012.Yet many respondents also reported that they washed their nets weekly, monthly or five to six times per year. Figure 1 presents washing frequency by region, as gathered in the IDIs/FGDs/sleeping space. Due to differences in climate and geography, different regions in Senegal are likely to vary in washing frequency due to increased prevalence of dirt and sand. Nets appeared to be most frequently washed in Saint Louis, with 41.9% of respondents reporting that they washed their nets weekly and 38.7% of respondents indicating that they did so monthly. Nets were washed frequently in Kedougou and Kolda, where nets were distributed in 2010.
After washing, many respondents said that they usually dried their nets in the sun. Some even mentioned that by drying nets in the sun, they could eliminate any insects that were living in the nets. However, other respondents reported that nets should be dried in the shade and that this was important for their effectiveness.
R: After having washed and re-impregnated the net, you do not dry it in the sun. Look for a place where there is shade and put a mat and install the net. It will dry and the product will stay and it will protect you from malaria and all of the mosquitoes that come will die there. And when she (the net distributor) told me, I tested this myself.
- IDI respondent, Fatick urbanResults from the sleeping space questionnaires complemented the qualitative findings. Figure 2 presents the data related to net drying practices by region. Of those nets that had ever been washed (n = 252), the majority (70.2%) were dried in the sun. In Saint Louis and Thies, nets were nearly always dried in the sun, which may reduce the effectiveness of the insecticide. This was less common in Dakar and Kolda.
Net retreatment
A minority of participants mentioned net retreatment as an essential component of net care, often in tandem with washing. Most frequently, respondents stated that they could take the net to the Service d‘Hygiène or health facility for re-impregnation or that someone would come to their community to retreat the nets. Those who treated the nets were described as wearing gloves and masks to protect themselves from the product and a few respondents mentioned that they were afraid of the effects of the insecticide.
R: Yes, they arrive with the new mosquito nets in the small packets. On the interior of the packet, there are often these sachets.
E: Ah, these are the sachets that are used?
R: Yes, these are the tablets that you put into the basins of water. They wear the gloves and block their nostrils because the product is dangerous after they wash the nets. After washing, they dry them in the sun for two days to diminish the dose of the product until it has diminished enough and you can hang it. But you do not dare to wash at that moment and hang at that moment to pass the night. This is not good for anyone.
- IDI respondent, Saint Louis rural
Some people reported that they could no longer find supplies for retreatment or currently did not know where they could get their nets retreated.
R: Yes but the re-impregnation was easy in that if it was accessible, you could go at any moment and re-impregnate, but on the condition that someone told us where to do it. For example, if someone could go to the health posts to find the retreatment, that would be easier but we do not know where to go for retreatment.
- IDI respondent, Dakar rural
Seasonal storage of nets as method of care
Some respondents mentioned that in order to take good care of their nets, they used them only in the rainy season when mosquitoes were highly visible. In doing so, they felt that they were preserving their nets for the period they were needed most. Some of the respondents mentioned putting nets away into bags to save them for the rainy season.
It (the mosquito net) comes at the moment when there are mosquitoes. When there are no more at the time, you fold it well and you save it in a place where the rats cannot spoil it…where the insects…And one day, you check where you put it but you should not wait until the time when the mosquitoes come. You need to take care of it like you take care of your soul because as I told you, health has no price.
- IDI respondent, Thies rural
Person responsible for net care
Respondents generally agreed that wives were responsible for washing nets, and that individuals were responsible for handling and storing their own nets. Women in general were tasked with washing and caring for nets. Respondents did distinguish between having adults and children care for nets and indicated that it was most appropriate for adults to do so since children can tear the nets when they are in a hurry.
Perceptions of those who do not care for nets
Respondents were asked why some people might not care for their nets and typically attributed this to negligence, laziness or ignorance. They felt that these people do not value nets and were therefore putting themselves and their families at risk.
It is just laziness (that keeps people from caring for their nets). It may also be lack of know-how and ignorance.
- IDI respondent, Saint Louis urban
Net repair
According to the IDI and FGD data, respondents most commonly stated that they would repair their nets by sewing with a needle and thread. Most of these respondents said that they would do this themselves but a few said that they would bring it to a tailor for repair. The second most commonly mentioned method of repair was that of tying knots to close the holes. A few respondents said that they would use pieces of another mosquito net or find another piece of fabric to repair the net by patching. Results from the sleeping space questionnaires provided information on 100 nets with evidence of repair. According to the data, 62% were repaired with knots, 36% were repaired by a needle and thread, and 2% were repaired by other means.
Perceived benefits of repairing a net
Protection from malaria was by far the most commonly mentioned advantage for repairing mosquito nets. Several respondents said that it is better to protect oneself with a net with some small holes than to sleep without one.
R: The advantage of repair, it’s to protect against the bites of mosquitoes if, as I have said, you don’t have the means to procure a new one. You know that if the mosquitoes bite you frequently, you risk falling ill with malaria. The bite of a mosquito is the mode of malaria transmission. When you do not have a new net and the old one has holes or is torn, you must sew it until you find another.
- IDI respondent, Kedougou, female
Some respondents said that once a net is repaired, it becomes just as efficient as a new net for protection against mosquitoes.
E: A sewn net and a new one- is there a difference?
R: There is no difference because the mosquitoes can no longer pass through. If you repair, the mosquitoes cannot pass and if it is new also, they can’t pass.
- IDI respondent, Dakar, female
E: According to you, is it useful to sew nets?
R: Yes, it is useful because if you sew, they become new because the mosquito net is not something that can tear quickly because we use it during the rainy season and after, when there are no more mosquitoes, we save the net well.
- IDI respondent, Ziguinchor, male
Barriers to net repair
Several participants said that there is no use in a torn net and that it is preferable to acquire a new one rather than repair a torn net.
If it is very worn, even if sewn, it will no longer be useful.
- IDI respondent, Ziguinchor, female
Other frequently mentioned challenges regarding net repair were that repair is difficult or impossible and that repairing nets can cause more holes or damage by making them weak. The fragility of nets that have been repaired can make it easy for them to tear again. Therefore, net repair was seen by many respondents as a temporary measure that would postpone the inevitable need to purchase a new net.
E: Now if you have to repair it, how will you repair it?
R4: The repair will aggravate the holes because in the mosquito net, there are already holes. If you use the needle to sew, when pulling, you will open another gap. Therefore, me, I think that if it is torn the only solution is the trash.
- FGD respondent, Thies, female
A substantial number of respondents stated they would prefer to throw the net away instead of repairing it. They gave different reasons for this decision, including not having enough time to repair and not wanting to waste the money to repair when that money could be invested in a new net. One woman from Ziguinchor stated that:
There are no advantages to repairing a net. If I do it, it’s only due to poverty.
- IDI respondent, Ziguinchor, female