São Paulo – The Brazilian government sent a batch of 44,000 pharmaceuticals to help Syrian conflict victims. The Ministry of Health also said this Friday (3) that the donation also includes three medication and health items kits for 500 people each, enough to last three months.
The material was shipped out from Rio de Janeiro on board Fragata União, a Brazilian Navy frigate. It will arrive in Lebanon, from where the World Health Organization (WHO) will transport it to Syria, which touches borders with Lebanon.
The batch amounts to one ton worth of products, including medication for infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and vaccines against child diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis and rotavirus. Also included are first-aid kits and other items.
“Brazil has a policy of supporting countries which are struggling, as is the case with Syria at this time,” a statement from the Health Ministry quoted its international adviser Fabio Frederico as saying. “It’s worth adding that donations of medication, vaccines and health items are authorized only on the condition that they do not affect domestic supply,” he added.
The donation is made via a partnership between the ministries of Health, Defense, and Foreign Affairs, plus the Brazilian Navy. The Ministry of Health has taken other steps to cooperate with Syria in the past. In 2014, it supplied 150,000 units of meglumine antimoniate, for 25,000 who had cutaneous leishmaniasis. The ministry also took similar action involving Haiti.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
