More affordable bednets, increased transparency in market will save $22M, UNICEF Executive Director says

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said Wednesday "that a more transparent and competitive market will lead to savings of more than $20 million over the next 12 months through a price reduction of 20 percent for bednets that protect people from malaria," a UNICEF press release reports, noting, "The price of an insecticide-treated, long-lasting bednet has dropped to under $3" (6/6). "'Never before have bednets been as accessible and affordable for children and families in developing countries,' said the Director of UNICEF's Supply Division in Copenhagen, Shanelle Hall, adding that the price reduction is the result of a long-term strategy to create a healthy global market for bednets," the U.N. News Centre writes (6/6).