Kathmandu, January 29

Rwanda on Tuesday launched a 6-month campaign "zero malaria starts with me" as part of the country's efforts to eradicate the disease.

According to the Rwandan Ministry of Health, the Rwandan government is partnering with Charis Unmanned Aerial Solutions, a local drone technology company to use drones to fight malaria.

It was informed that each drone, fitted with a 10-liter tank carrying insecticide, follows a pre-mapped route and sprays over mosquito breeding sites starting on Tuesday in suburbs of Kigali, said the ministry.

Malaria cases dropped from 4.8 million in 2018 to 3.7 million in 2019, according to Rwanda Biomedical Center.

"The campaign will complement Rwanda's existing efforts to prevent and combat malaria through different treatment and preventive measures across the country," Health Minister Diane Gashumba was quoted as saying by the Xinhua News.

The nationwide campaign will involve the use of drones to spray larvicides in mosquito breeding sites most especially in swamps, marshlands and woody areas, a method taken for the first time in the country's history.

Hamro Doctor