2006 Health Award Laureate
Sumitomo Chemical Company, Ltd.
| Laureate Country: Japan |
| Project Country: Worldwide with focus on sub-Saharan Africa and Asia |
| Website: www.sumivector.com |
| Video: 2006Videos/sumitomo.mov |
Project Overview:
Sumitomo Chemical, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates globally in a broad range of chemical sectors. Its expertise in insecticides and plastics technologies led to the development of OlysetŪ a long lasting mosquito net, which protects the user for at least five years from malaria transmitting mosquitoes. The challenge was to produce a product that would provide effective protection over an extended period, meet the World Health Organization's requirements for long lasting nets, and be cost effective.
Problem Addressed:
Malaria kills over one million people per year, the majority being children in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa alone accounts for approximately 90 percent of the malaria cases in the world. Current preventative methods that have been proven to reduce the incidence of malaria include bed net technology, which utilizes a net treated with insecticide that prevents mosquito biting. Most bed nets, however, require frequent re-treatment or reapplication of the insecticide, and reapplication is rarely carried out by the user, leaving the user vulnerable to malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Additionally, most nets are not robust enough for the conditions encountered in Africa. Thus, there is a need for a factory-treated bed net that requires no further treatment, can be washed at least 20 times yet remain effective for a number of years, and sells at an economically efficient price.
Technology Solution:
The OlysetŪ technology, invented by Sumitomo Chemical, comprises an insecticidal active ingredient which is directly incorporated within the polyethylene fibers of the net. The technology enables a very slow release of this insecticide onto the surface of the fibers, where it repels and kills malaria-carrying Anopheles mosquitoes for at least five years. The slow release of the insecticide over a period solves the issue of reapplication of the chemicals, and the highly robust polyethylene fibers provide a product that is sturdy, effective and able to last up to seven or eight years in rugged rural African conditions.
