The Ghana Health Service has dismissed as false and misleading social media claims that insecticide-treated nets currently being distributed to primary school children contain dangerous chemical compounds harmful to human health.
In a press release issued on June 26, the service urged the public not to be alarmed, stating that the claims are without any scientific or regulatory basis.
The net being distributed is the Interceptor G2, a WHO-approved Long-Lasting Insecticidal Net manufactured to international standards and selected as part of Ghana's national malaria elimination effort. It contains two insecticidal compounds, chlorfenapyr and alpha-cypermethrin, both of which have been used in public health programmes worldwide for many years and are well-known to health and regulatory authorities.
The Ghana Health Service noted that Interceptor G2 has received full WHO Prequalification and has been approved by Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority.
On the specific claim of respiratory risk, the Service explained that the compounds in the net have an extremely low vapour pressure, meaning they do not lift into the air as dust, smoke, or aerosol. A person sleeping under the net breathes normal air, not insecticide.
The Service further stated that insecticide-treated nets have been used across Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa for several decades, with not one documented case of respiratory illness ever linked to sleeping under a properly used ITN.
The Ghana Health Service urged parents and caregivers to use the nets, air a newly received net in a shaded, well-ventilated space for up to 48 hours before first use to allow any mild new-net smell to clear, and refrain from sharing unverified health claims.
The Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service reaffirmed their commitment to the safety and wellbeing of every Ghanaian, stating that every net distributed has been tested, approved, and verified as safe before reaching homes.
