Transcript
SHELDON YETT: We're looking for ways to get vaccines reliably to remote populations. And drones might provide a solution for us. But we need to test it, we need to make sure it's something that can be done in a very remote country like Vanuatu with very limited infrastructure and that's what these trials are all about.
JENNY MEYER: It's quite a widely dispersed country, lots of islands and remote populations, when will these drones actually start to carry these vaccines for real out to the communities?
SY: Just to give you some context, it is one of the most remote countries in the world. We're talking about an island country with some 83 islands dispersed over 1600 kilometres. Very few of the islands actually have airstrips or roads. So very,very difficult conditions. We'll be doing trials to do test of concept over the next week or so, and then hopefully if all goes well the government of Vanuatu can start actually vaccines in islands as early as next year.
JM: What diseases are you targetting with this vaccine delivery programme?
SY: All the diseases that are the main killers of children in this part of the world. The diseases that cause acute diarrhea, pnuemonia, measles, all the diseases that can be prevented by a simple jab.
JM: So with the drone delivery, what are some of the challenges and perhaps also the benefits of using drones to distribute the vaccines?
SY: The benefits of course are that you don't have to put nurses in dodgy boats going across rough seas. So you don't put lives at risk. And you can ensure potentially a more reliable supply of vaccines. Vaccines are wonderful they are probably the best invention ever to save children's lives. But they're only useful if they get to where those populations that need them are. And this is one way of doing that. The challenges, well this is an extremely remote country, hilly, forested, buffetted by high winds, limited infrastructure, limited spare parts, limited capacity to fix a mechanical device when it goes wrong. So the challenges are huge. But I think there's tremendous potential. And most importantly it's an opportunity for us to learn, can we do this? Can we save children's lives a different way, a better way, a more efficient way?
JM: Some of these communities may never have seen anything like a drone. How are you communicating with them to make sure they don't see this kind of new thing as a threat?
SY: That's exactly right and in fact that may be the biggest challenge. The last thing anybody wants is a startled child with a bow and arrow to shoot the thing out of the sky. We need to work with communities and the government of Vanuatu is doing just that now. They've been training with health workers and other community leaders explaining what the tests are all about, what the trials are all about, going from community to community talking about it. Drones are sexy, it's new technology but they're no substitute for investing in strong health systems. Investing in oversight systems, investing in good training, investing in the basics. And of course Unicef will continue to work with the government of Vanuatu and our partners around the world to make sure that continues to happen here and elsewhere in the Pacific.
