Fig. 1

The Fabric of Life. Intact nets, if available and are consistently used, offer substantial benefits whether or not they kill mosquitoes. As mosquitoes become more strongly resistant to public health insecticides, the overall value of the nets comes increasingly from their ability to prevent biting rather than their ability to kill mosquitoes. This raises the question of whether bed nets, as long as they are durable and widely available, must also be insecticidal