A Country-level Comparative Study on Knowledge, Perception and Readiness towards Drone-based Dengue Surveillance System

Date

2022

Authors

Annan, Esther
Guo, Jinghui
Haque, Ubydul

ORCID

0000-0001-9816-0958 (Annan, Esther)

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Abstract

Drone use in the health sector may serve the purpose of surveillance and monitoring of Aedes mosquitoes. However community concerns about drone use around homes may potentially affect the effectiveness of a drone surveillance program. This study aimed to address the gap in knowledge, readiness and perception about how individuals may respond to drone use for rapid alert systems. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three countries; Mexico, Turkey, and Malaysia and data were analyzed using SAS, Python, and R. Comparisons were made within and across countries and tested for statistical significance.The survey comprised of 1,826 participants, in Malaysia (619), Mexico (605), and Turkey (602). Of the three countries, Turkey had the lowest knowledge scores about mosquito-borne diseases. Compared to individuals living in Turkey, people living in Mexico had 14.3 (p< 0.0001) times higher odds and Malaysians had 4.0 (p = 0.7030) times the odds of being willing to download a mosquito surveillance app. About 75%, 78% and 32% of residents in rural Mexico, Turkey and Malaysia respectively, expressed no concern for the use of drones around homes for surveillance purposes. An individual's willingness to be trained and acceptance of drone use in mosquito-endemic countries may help to further discussions and application of mosquito surveillance using drones. Privacy concerns may be addressed through the enforcement of drone regulatory standards.

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