Medicine from the sky: Drones helping tackle rabies, snakebites

In the remote village of Oren, Kisumu County, we meet Caroline Mobe, who is in charge of Oren health centre, busy scrolling her smart phone. She is tracking medical supplies she had asked to be delivered via Zipline, a US-based logistics company, using drone technology. 

The drugs should be dropped at the facility in 10 minutes.

Indeed, 10 minutes later, a white drone flying near the facility opens its belly and releases a red box (attached with a parachute). It then flies back to the Zipline hub in Chemelil.

Caroline notes that the delivery of medical supplies using drone technology has enhanced service delivery in the area.

In Kisumu County where snake and dog bites are rampant and often turn fatal, the quick delivery of anti-rabies vials and anti-venom has helped save many lives.

"If the rabies vaccine is not given at the stipulated time, then the patient is bound to be infected with the virus within 72 hours. Rabies is a deadly disease if not managed well,” says Caroline.

Rose Akinyi, 56, a resident of Oren Village, is among those who have benefited from the drone services.

One Monday morning in August last year, her son was bitten by a dog. She rushed him to Oren health centre, where the nurse in charge ordered for the rabies vaccine immediately. It was delivered by a drone within a few minutes. 

In case the facility did not have the anti-rabies vials, Rose would have to be referred to Ahero Sub-county Hospital for treatment, which is about 25 kilometres away. “My son was given the vaccine and other doses on time. He has since recovered," says Rose.

According to the county’s Health Executive Gregory Ganda, between 2019 and 2023, Kisumu County reported 1,640 cases of dog bites. Out of these, 30 were confirmed rabies cases while 10 people lost their lives. Dr Ganda notes that more cases may be going unreported due to lack of awareness among residents. “Apart from bilharzia, snake bite is the second most common neglected disease in Kisumu County, with most cases reported in Seme and Nyakach sub-counties.”

Kisumu County treats between 1,000 to 1,500 cases of snake bites every year.

He adds: “With the Zipline drone technology, we will be able to transport anti-venom to various hospitals within the 24 hours that a patient requires treatment.” Dr Ganda said health practitioners who require vaccines to protect children against fatal diseases will not be required to close a facility and take a motorcycle to go pick up a vaccine.

Zipline’s distribution hub in Chemelil is equipped with a state-of-the-art warehousing facility and cold chain storage that keeps all products within the recommended standards for delivery. The supplies for delivery include blood, vaccines, medicine, nutrition supplements and animal health products.

Currently, Zipline is supporting 47 facilities in Kisumu County and 74 facilities in Nyamira. "We have started piloting drones in Homa Bay County. From our distribution centre in Chemelil, we are able to serve 1012 facilities within the Lake Region," says Zipline Fulfilment Operations Lead Luke Baraza.

He adds that most hospitals in Kisumu are ordering a lot of anti-rabies and oxytocin on an emergency basis. 

Mr Baraza says at times facilities run out of essential drugs such as Paracetamol suspension and Cetirizine syrup, prompting them to order. Flights Operations Lead Sharon Omoja says: On a daily basis we are able to make 50 deliveries of medical supplies to health facilities in both Kisumu and Nyamira.”

Founded in 2014 in the US, Zipline operates in five African countries — Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire. The company recently started doing home for commercial and medical supplies in Kigali, Rwanda.

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