Brazil Deploys Drones to Map and Treat Dengue Breeding Sites in Federal District

The Federal District (DF) in Brazil has begun using drones to fight dengue. Equipped with high‑resolution cameras, the drones capture aerial images of neighborhoods such as Santa Maria, Gama, Água Quente, Recanto das Emas, Plano Piloto, Park Way, Vicente Pires, Arniqueira, SIA, Núcleo Bandeirante, Candangolândia, Estrutural, and Águas Claras. Artificial‑intelligence software analyses the images to locate potential Aedes aegypti breeding sites, including open water containers and trash‑filled areas.

When agents cannot reach a site directly, the drones drop up to four 15‑gram packets of larvicide (totaling 60 g). The larvicide dissolves on contact with water, spreading the treatment. "The drone technology arrived to make dengue combat more accessible in points we cannot reach," said Vladimir Sales, an environmental surveillance officer with SES‑DF. The program plans 18 420 mapping missions and 10 808 larvicide treatments over the next year.

The initiative aims to improve surveillance and reduce dengue cases by targeting otherwise inaccessible breeding hotspots throughout the district.