From sleepers under the bednet, heat and carbon dioxide emanate and move upwards thermally within the net, which acts like a chimney. Consequently, foraging females tend to begin exploring nets on the upper part, proceeding downwards looking for any bloodmeal opportunity. Based on a simple iodine volumetric titration which can be read by eye, the new assay is a major advance on other tests which are too complex or too expensive to be used in the field in malaria zones. It should be relatively easy to adapt this method to produce a test kit for residue quantification in the field. In Africa alone over 2 million people die every year from malaria, most of them young children.
Malaria is also a serious risk for tourists in the tropics.