Tanzania is one of the African countries that has invested heavily in local technology, by way of example, it is already started to build its own helicopters. With this project, a “poor” country decided to show the road to success.
Now the country has decided to bet on a method to eradicate malaria, fortunately, a mix of technology is making this battle of mosquitoes more practical. The University of Aberystwyth Wales and the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Program in Tanzania have partnered with an initiative that uses drones to research malaria hot spots and identify areas of water where malaria-carrying mosquitoes are likely to reproduce.
Um Drone can cover a large arrozada in 20 minutes, and data can be processed in the space of an afternoon. With this method, it is possible to discover and spray problem areas within hours, preventing the outbreaks from starting. And there are expansion plans, too. The next step is to bring the zoom images to smartphones to guide the spray teams and track progress. Instead of just having a general idea of where to go, sprayers can make a baseline for the affected areas and tell them when they are finished.
Concerning safety, there are concerns that drones may interfere with local wildlife and cause privacy concerns. The creators of the project hope that familiar residents will get used to the technology and be able to avoid clashes with the ecosystem. As it happens, it may be possible to virtually eradicate malaria in entire neighborhoods without having to spend a fortune or waste valuable hours.
