Drone vaccinates baby in world first for tiny Vanuatu
- Aid agencies hope the successful trial will help governments and organisations immunise people in other far-flung places
A one-month-old on a remote island in the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu became the first child to be immunised in a commercial trial of drone-delivered vaccines, the UN Children’s Fund Unicef said on Tuesday.
Aid agencies hope the successful run in the country, where one in five children is not fully immunised, could eventually help governments and organisations reach others in far-flung places around the world.
“Today’s small flight by drone is a big leap for global health,” Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore said in a statement.
“With the world still struggling to immunise the hardest to reach children, drone technologies can be a game changer for bridging that last mile to reach every child.”
While this is not the first time that drones have been used to deliver vaccines, it is the first time such a method has been deployed in Vanuatu, which has 83 islands, most only accessible by boat.