The Use of Drones to Deliver Rift Valley Fever Vaccines in Rwanda: Perceptions and Recommendations
Given the recent emergence of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Rwanda and its profound impact on livelihoods and health, improving RVF prevention and control strategies is crucial. Vaccinating livestock is one of the most sustainable strategies to mitigate the impact of RVF on health and livelihoods. Howe...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Vaccines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/3/605 |
| _version_ | 1797608663224942592 |
|---|---|
| author | Evan F. Griffith Janna M. Schurer Billy Mawindo Rita Kwibuka Thierry Turibyarive Janetrix Hellen Amuguni |
| author_facet | Evan F. Griffith Janna M. Schurer Billy Mawindo Rita Kwibuka Thierry Turibyarive Janetrix Hellen Amuguni |
| author_sort | Evan F. Griffith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Given the recent emergence of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Rwanda and its profound impact on livelihoods and health, improving RVF prevention and control strategies is crucial. Vaccinating livestock is one of the most sustainable strategies to mitigate the impact of RVF on health and livelihoods. However, vaccine supply chain constraints severely limit the effectiveness of vaccination programs. In the human health sector, unmanned aerial vehicles, i.e., drones, are increasingly used to improve supply chains and last-mile vaccine delivery. We investigated perceptions of whether delivering RVF vaccines by drone in Rwanda might help to overcome logistical constraints in the vaccine supply chain. We conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the animal health sector and Zipline employees in Nyagatare District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. We used content analysis to identify key themes. We found that stakeholders in the animal health sector and Zipline employees believe that drones could improve RVF vaccination in Nyagatare. The primary benefits study participants identified included decreased transportation time, improved cold chain maintenance, and cost savings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:47:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-054dfd6c3040471d9a56c47a544481ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:47:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-054dfd6c3040471d9a56c47a544481ea2023-11-17T14:18:25ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2023-03-0111360510.3390/vaccines11030605The Use of Drones to Deliver Rift Valley Fever Vaccines in Rwanda: Perceptions and RecommendationsEvan F. Griffith0Janna M. Schurer1Billy Mawindo2Rita Kwibuka3Thierry Turibyarive4Janetrix Hellen Amuguni5Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USADepartment of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USALondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UKSchool of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Rwanda, Nyagatare 4285, RwandaSchool of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Rwanda, Nyagatare 4285, RwandaDepartment of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USAGiven the recent emergence of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Rwanda and its profound impact on livelihoods and health, improving RVF prevention and control strategies is crucial. Vaccinating livestock is one of the most sustainable strategies to mitigate the impact of RVF on health and livelihoods. However, vaccine supply chain constraints severely limit the effectiveness of vaccination programs. In the human health sector, unmanned aerial vehicles, i.e., drones, are increasingly used to improve supply chains and last-mile vaccine delivery. We investigated perceptions of whether delivering RVF vaccines by drone in Rwanda might help to overcome logistical constraints in the vaccine supply chain. We conducted semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the animal health sector and Zipline employees in Nyagatare District in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. We used content analysis to identify key themes. We found that stakeholders in the animal health sector and Zipline employees believe that drones could improve RVF vaccination in Nyagatare. The primary benefits study participants identified included decreased transportation time, improved cold chain maintenance, and cost savings.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/3/605rift valley feverdronesRwandalivestock vaccine supply chainzoonotic disease |
| spellingShingle | Evan F. Griffith Janna M. Schurer Billy Mawindo Rita Kwibuka Thierry Turibyarive Janetrix Hellen Amuguni The Use of Drones to Deliver Rift Valley Fever Vaccines in Rwanda: Perceptions and Recommendations Vaccines rift valley fever drones Rwanda livestock vaccine supply chain zoonotic disease |
| title | The Use of Drones to Deliver Rift Valley Fever Vaccines in Rwanda: Perceptions and Recommendations |
| title_full | The Use of Drones to Deliver Rift Valley Fever Vaccines in Rwanda: Perceptions and Recommendations |
| title_fullStr | The Use of Drones to Deliver Rift Valley Fever Vaccines in Rwanda: Perceptions and Recommendations |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Use of Drones to Deliver Rift Valley Fever Vaccines in Rwanda: Perceptions and Recommendations |
| title_short | The Use of Drones to Deliver Rift Valley Fever Vaccines in Rwanda: Perceptions and Recommendations |
| title_sort | use of drones to deliver rift valley fever vaccines in rwanda perceptions and recommendations |
| topic | rift valley fever drones Rwanda livestock vaccine supply chain zoonotic disease |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/3/605 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT evanfgriffith theuseofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT jannamschurer theuseofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT billymawindo theuseofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT ritakwibuka theuseofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT thierryturibyarive theuseofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT janetrixhellenamuguni theuseofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT evanfgriffith useofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT jannamschurer useofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT billymawindo useofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT ritakwibuka useofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT thierryturibyarive useofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations AT janetrixhellenamuguni useofdronestodeliverriftvalleyfevervaccinesinrwandaperceptionsandrecommendations |