Instituto Butantan, based in São Paulo, one of the leading scientific research centers in the world, will donate 1 million doses of the flu vaccine and 1,700 laboratory vials of antivenom for snake and spider bites to Venezuela.
The announcement was made last February by the governor of the state of São Paulo, João Doria, during a ceremony for the expansion and renovation of the institute’s flu vaccine factory. The goal, he said, “is to help the Venezuelan population at a time when the country is facing a severe political and humanitarian crisis.”
According to Doria, the donations will be sent primarily to residents in the
Venezuelan borders with Brazil. “We will donate 1 million doses of the flu vaccine to protect the population in the border area. These vaccines will serve both Brazilians and Venezuelans,” he said.Expansion
After the Instituto Butantan factory was renovated and expanded last year, the institute gained the capacity to produce 140 million doses of vaccines per year. This allowed the state of São Paulo to have the largest flu vaccine factory in the Southern Hemisphere, making Brazil self-sufficient in its production.
The institute reported efforts to adapt its factory for pre-qualification with the World Health Organization, which is expected to enable the flu vaccine produced by the institute to be supplied to other countries.
Source: Agência Brasil