Malaria is endemic to PNG and affects an estimated 1.7 million Papua New Guineans, mostly infants, young children and pregnant women (WHO 2005).

Still water - especially floods during the rainy season - and hot humid weather provide ideal conditions for mosquitos to breed.

Bed nets are a simple and yet effective way to protect people from being bitten by mosquitos carrying the parasite which causes malaria.

The nets are purchased from Rotarians Against Malaria in Port Moresby. Each bundle of 100 nets weighs 45 kilograms. It's a huge logistical and physical challenge to transport this heavy cargo along rivers, through dense jungles, and over muddy mountains to the villages.

Demographic house-by-house surveys are carried out to assess how many nets and what size nets are needed by each family. During the delivery phase, this data also helps to ensure fair allocation and prevent riots.

The ADI team arrives near Tarakbits in boats loaded with nets destined for local villages. From this point on the journey will be made by foot.

Men from Kungim help to unload the heavy bales of bed nets off the boat. Their village is about an hour's walk away.

Tractor is often the best mode of transport for muddy conditions. ADI volunteer doctor Jane Walters has a bumpy ride ahead to Iowarra refugee settlement in Western Province.

Whilst delivering the bed nets, it's not uncommon for locals to hitch a ride!

From 2003-2004 ADI manually dipped all bed nets in the insect repellent permethrin. We've now switched to Long Life Insecticide Impregnated Nets (LLINs). WHO views LLINs as key to the multi-faceted approach for tackling malaria - they simultaneously protect people at risk and eliminate mosquitos.

These old bed nets had to be re-dipped every year or so to maintain their maximum effectiveness. LLINs, on the other hand, do not require re-dipping and can last up to years.

ADI volunteer doctor Jan Bowman and ADI malaria officer Giwi Yombo ceremoniously present a bed net to a local village leader before distributing bed nets to the rest of the villagers.

ADI volunteer doctor Charles Ellis and ADI malaria officer Giwi Yombo show students at Kiunga vocational college how to use a bed net.

ADI field coordinator Margaret Bruffells distributes bed nets at Switiken Village in North Fly.

A little boy from Switiken happily bags a bed net for his family.

Amidst great excitement, the entire village comes to collect their bed nets and learn how to properly use them.

Teaching the local villagers how to install and take care of the nets is a critical part of the process. For example, villagers are advised against using the nets near open flames or for fishing in the river.

ADI malaria officer Giwi Yombo demonstrates how to use a bed net. The bed nets come in various sizes - one-person, two-person and family - depending on the needs of each individual household which are determined by the preliminary demographic surveys.

The benefits of bed nets already speak for themselves: In the northern region of North Fly, Western Province alone, the number of malaria cases presenting at Tabubil Hospital has dropped from 9,026 in 2006 to 4,892 in 2007, a decrease of 46%.