Journal article
The age of drones: what might it mean for health?
Undoubtedly, drones have developed a bad reputation because of their use in wars. However, this technology is now increasingly being used for constructive purposes across several sectors, including health.
Research on infectious diseases is one area where scientists are making use of drones. Chris Drakeley, a professor of infection and immunity at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK, and his team have been tracking an emerging problem with Plasmodium knowlesi malaria in parts of Malaysia using drones. This type of malaria has been known to occur in human beings, but its natural hosts are long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques. The Sabah region in Malaysia has seen a mysterious upsurge in human infections from this illness.
The researchers have been flying two types of drones. The first is a fixed-wing drone, which is flown over an area once every 2 months to look at changes in landscape and environment. “These drones generate very high resolution images of the ground and help us observe changes in vegetation cover”, says Drakeley. The second type—a copter drone—follows macaques around to help the team to determine their numbers; a higher number of animals (almost all of them infected) indicates a potentially larger risk of infection to human beings.
Authors
Languages
- English
Publication year
2016
Journal
The Lancet
Volume
10030
Type
Journal article
Categories
- Supply chain & logistics
Tags
- Distribution system
