In Fight Against Malaria, an Unexpected — and Snuggly — Shield

As an American medical resident in a global health program in Uganda 12 years ago, Dr. Ross Boyce saw the devastating toll of malaria firsthand. About half of the patients he saw in a rural clinic had the disease. Most were very young children; many recovered with treatment, but some did not survive.

Dr. Boyce noticed something else: All of the Ugandan mothers carried their babies tied on their backs with a wide piece of cotton. And this made him think about the clothing he wore long before medical school, when he was deployed to Iraq as an infantry officer: the U.S. military treated his uniforms with permethrin, a long-acting insecticide, to protect against mosquito-borne illnesses.

Dr. Boyce floated an idea among his Ugandan colleagues: Could they treat baby wraps in insecticides too? Might that keep mosquitoes away from babies?

Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of treating baby wraps with permethrin, written by Stephanie Nolen.