For the first time, a child has received a vaccine delivered using a drone. The vaccine was given on the Republic of Vanuatu, an archipelago in Oceania.
Vanuatu consists of a series of islands separated by the ocean. The islands are mountainous and contain several volcanoes, making the islands difficult to access via land. This also affects care on the island; UNICEF estimates that one in five children on Vanuatu does not receive all essential vaccines.
Delivered in Cook's Bay
Using drones, UNICEF aims to reduce this rate. The organisation, together with partners on Vanuatu, reports having delivered a vaccine using a drone for the first time. The drone covered a total of more than 40 kilometres, flying from Dillon's Bay on the western side of the island to remote Cook's Bay on the eastern side. Cook's Bay can usually only be reached on foot or by using small boats.
A shipment of vaccines has been delivered in Cook's Bay. The first vaccine was administered a one-month-old child and protects the child against hepatitis and tuberculosis. Twelve other children and five pregnant women were also vaccinated.
Integrate into national vaccination programme
The project was carried out by UNICEF in collaboration with two drone companies: Swoop Aero and WingCopter. The first drone flight to Vanuatu was carried out by Swoop Aero. The drone managed to land safely within two metres of its target. In the long term, the Vanuatu government wants to integrate the use of drones into a national vaccination programme.
UNICEF speaks of a major step forward for global healthcare delivery. "Today's unique delivery of the vaccine has enormous potential for not only Vanuatu, but also for thousands of children in other locations around the world who are missing vaccines," said Henriette Fore, director of UNICEF. The flight was part of the first ever commercial contract to deliver vaccines by drone.
To keep the vaccines at a constant low temperature during this trip, the drone was fitted with a box made of styrofoam filled with ice. A data logger was also added to the box to continuously monitor the temperature of the vaccines. An indicator was also fitted to show at a glance whether the temperature of the vaccines had exceeded a limit.
Increasingly used for medical purposes
Drones are increasingly being used for medical purposes. For example, Switzerland's Matternet uses autonomous drones to transport blood for blood transfusions and diagnostic samples between Swiss hospitals. Airbus and International SOS are also conducting tests on transporting medical devices using drones. The startup Flirtey flies defibrillators in the US using drones to people who have had heart attacks.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: UNICEF (pictured)
