By Nasra Bishumba, Kigali RWANDA
Following the
Government’s partnership with Charis Unmanned Aerial Solutions, a local drone
technology company, Rwanda will, today, for the very first time begin using drones to rid communities of
malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
The
initiative, which will be launched in Jabana, in Gasabo District, will
complement a set of existing strategies to prevent and combat malaria in the
country.
According
to the Ministry of Health, the initiative that will “greatly contribute to
achieving zero malaria in Rwanda.”
Each
drone, fitted with a 10-litre tank carrying insecticide, will follow a
pre-mapped route and sprays over vast mosquito breeding sites like swamps
larvae, which mostly live in stagnant water.
In
a interview last year, the company’s Chief Executive Officer; Eric Rutayisire
Muziga, told The New Times that the drones have the capacity to fly for about
15 minutes on a single battery and ability to spray an area of 40 hectares in a
day.
The
Division Manager for malaria and other parasitic diseases at Rwanda Biomedical
Centre (RBC); Dr Aimable Mbituyumuremyi, said that the drone technology will
bring more benefits in the fight against malaria.
“The
same technology has been used in other countries to control mosquitoes. The
drone technology will help us to reach certain areas where conventional pump
sprayers could not reach, including in marshlands, rice paddies and other
fields,” he said.
Currently,
the Ministry of Health conducts only indoor residual spraying across the
country once in a year.
Information
from the Ministry of Health indicates that simple malaria cases increased from
about a million in 2012 to 4.5 million in 2016 rise while severe malaria cases
increased from 9,000 to 17,000 during the same period.
However,
preliminary data from RBC shows that total malaria cases dropped to below 4
million by end 2018.
This
is the latest initiative where Rwanda has deployed drone technology to save
lives.
In 2016, Zipline, a
US-based company launched its activities in Rwanda, delivering blood to
different hospitals in the country.
This
was the first time globally that drone technology was being deployed to make
drops of vital blood and other medical supplies to hospitals.
Currently,
it operates two distribution centres; one in Muhanga district and another one Kayonza District, giving
it the reach of almost all major hospitals in the country.
Using
Rwanda as a model, Zipline has since launched its second operation in Ghana,
with four distribution centres, supplying at least 2,500 health facilities.
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