| People who have actually studied the issue have run the numbers, and the math does add up: Short version:
http://www.againstmalaria.com/WhyNets.aspx "Each net costs about $3 [prices dropped recentl], lasts for 3-4 years, and protects, on average, two people." The statistics are well known given the scale of the problem. Every 50-250 nets we put over heads and beds, one child doesn't die. http://www.givewell.org/international/top-charities/AMF#Cost... http://www.givewell.org/international/technical/programs/ins... > So either mosquito nets prevent malaria for only 1 in 250 people, or a majority of that $2500 is going to waste. Malaria is not always fatal, malaria is not the only threat to life, and malaria is a persistent threat -- to life a life free of malaria requires about 15 nets, each with a lifespan of about 3-5 years. |