Sri Lanka Uses Military Drones to Target Dengue Mosquito Breeding Sites

Sri Lanka is confronting its worst dengue outbreak in nearly a decade, with more than 77,000 confirmed cases and 56 deaths reported this year, a quarter of the cases occurring in July alone. To enhance vector control, the government has tasked the armed forces with deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to scan rooftops, schools, construction sites and other areas for stagnant water where Aedes mosquitoes breed. The drones can rapidly identify hidden pools of water and support aerial spraying of insecticide, complementing traditional ground‑level inspections and fumigation. Health officials stress that the technology is an added tool, not a substitute for community actions such as covering water containers, cleaning gutters and eliminating breeding sites. The initiative reflects a broader push to modernise public‑health responses as dengue cases rise worldwide, climbing from about 500,000 in 2000 to over 14 million in 2024.