The treated nets block female mosquitoes from securing blood, which is necessary for them to reproduce. The insecticide also cut the life of the insects in half.

The World Health Organization has set a goal of stopping lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem by the year 2020. The WHO estimates that 1.4 billion people in 73 countries are at risk of the disease. Children are often infected, but they do not show signs of the disease until later in life.

This Science in the News was written by Milagros Ardin and Kim Varzi. I’m Faith Lapidus.

And I’m Bob Doughty. Join us again next week at this time for more news about science on the Voice of America.