Drones vs malaria

MALARIA faces its toughest adversary yet in the form of drones designed to eliminate the disease using a revolutionary new technique. Drone manufacturer DJI joined a team of entomologists in Zanzibar to conduct a pilot project with the use of a modified DJI MG-1S Agras drone. The drone sprayed mosquitoinfested rice fields with a unique, non-toxic, biodegradable siliconebased liquid (Aquatain AMF). The liquid was spread across stagnant water to create a very thin film that prevents pupae and larvae from breathing at the surface, causing them to drown and die.

‘We have great hopes that this approach will contribute significantly towards defeating this fatal disease in affected regions around the world,’ says Dr Barbara Stelzner, director of marketing and corporate communication at DJI Europe. ‘Reducing the cases of new malaria infections will not only put an end to all the suffering of people related to this disease, but it will also contribute to generating larger harvests and provide new economic perspectives in Africa.’

By flying drones that spray biological insecticides on to rice fields, the team of experts aims to demonstrate that the mosquito population can be significantly reduced. They will sample the larvae and emerging mosquito population before, during, and after spraying to determine the possible impact of this approach in large rice irrigation schemes that are found throughout Africa.

‘The use of spray drones proves to be essential in efficiently treating large rice fields, because spraying by hand is very timeconsuming and using a helicopter is too expensive and simply not realistic,’ explains Dr Bart Knols, the scientist behind the project.

After the trial, the scientific team intends to publish the findings in a scientific journal and communicate further on the results.

Scientists are using DJI drones in the fight against malaria. The pilot project entailed spraying rice fields in Zanzibar with biological insecticides using drones as the delivery device.