From September 5th through 9th, Dr. Andre Houtoukpe presented the results and lessons learned from MCDI's USAID-funded Project to Advance the Durability of Long Lasting Instecticide-treated Nets (PADNET) to the African Public Health Association Conference at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

Prior to the implementation of PADNET in rural Benin, the average lifetime of a bed net was only six months. PADNET found that the useful lifetime of bed nets can be prolonged by providing information to the public on how to properly maintain bed nets in a method known as behavior change communication. These lessons learned are being shared with nearby countries and MCDI has encouraged the National Malaria Control Program in Benin to use behavior change communication during their next mass bed net distribution in 2017.

Dr. Houtoukpe and Dr. Luis Benavente of MCDI are also presenting their findings at the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta, Georgia in November.