The Brazilian government sent to Mozambique six kits, with 870kg of medicines and supplies. The amount will be sufficient to serve up to 3 thousand people for a period of three months. The material was sent by the two Brazilian Air Force planes that sailed towards the African country, which was heavily affected by cyclone Idai last March.
“These donations, which happen through humanitarian cooperation, do not deprive Brazilians of the right to access to medicines, which are sent only when they do not jeopardize the national supply,” said the Brazilian Minister of Health, Luiz Henrique Mandetta.
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The kits are composed of several medicines, including antibiotics, antihypertensives, and antipyretics, such as penicillin, amoxicillin, paracetamol and serum for hydration; in addition to first aid materials such as bandages, gauzes, gloves, masks, syringes, plasters, among others. Each is capable of serving up to 500 people for a period of three months.
Contribution of Fiocruz
The Ministry of Health’s task force was supported by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). Soon after the cyclone Idai passed, the vice president of Production and Innovation in Health of the institution, Marco Krieger, was in a mission to the country, accompanied by a delegation, to establish contacts with authorities of the region and determine the main needs of the population and of local institutions. After that, a meeting was organized with representatives of various technical-scientific units to determine the type of assistance the units could offer.
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For more than a decade, Fiocruz has been involved in cooperation projects with Mozambique. These projects are dedicated to local health issues, which include postgraduate courses in different areas and in-service training. Currently, 12 Mozambican students are taking postgraduate courses in Brazil, more precisely at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute and at the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectology (INI), at the Manguinhos campus.
Destruction
On March 14, cyclone Idai arrived in Mozambique with winds of over 170 km/h and was followed by heavy rains. Its passage damaged the houses, caused floods and left in ruins 90% of the port city of Beira, the second largest of the country. More than 1.85 million people were affected. Two neighboring countries, Zimbabwe and Malawi, were also affected.