Many Kenyans discard mosquito nets as nights get hotter
A new study indicates that rising temperatures due to climate change are causing people in malaria-endemic African countries to stop using insecticide-treated mosquito nets. The discomfort of sleeping under nets in hot weather is linked to a significant decrease in usage among women and children.
Why it matters
This identifies a critical intersection between climate change and public health, suggesting that warming trends could undermine decades of malaria prevention progress.
A woman with her baby inside a mosquito net /FILE Hot weather is making people less likely to sleep under mosquito nets, putting one of Kenya’s most important malaria prevention tools at risk, a new study has found.
The study, which examined data from 28 malaria-endemic countries in Africa, found that people were less likely to use insecticide-treated nets when temperatures became high.
Researchers say this could become an important problem as temperatures rise because of climate change.
The finding is important for Kenya, where malaria remains a major health problem despite years of progress.
The Ministry of Health said in April that malaria prevalence in Kenya had fallen from eight per cent in 2015 to six per cent in 2025. It also reported a 31 per cent fall in malaria cases over the previous three years.
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