University collects medical samples via drones in Madagascar

A suburban New York university is using drone technology to improve the health care of people in remote parts of Madagascar.

Health workers with Stony Brook University have worked on the island nation off the coast of Africa for nearly three decades.

Now they've teamed up with a Michigan startup company called Vayu Inc. To transport medical samples by drone for laboratory analysis.

The samples are taken from patients in remote villages and flown by drones to a clinic in as little as two hours. The team made its first successful run in July.

University officials say they're using the drones to help diagnosis ailments like tapeworm disease. Ultimately, the plan is to deliver medications to patients in a timely manner.