It’s good news for the developing countries, they may finally wish measles a goodbye! An ace bio-medical research and development center from Brazil will be carrying out the production of a combined vaccine, which will be targeting measles and rubella both. This vaccine is a special venture for the developing countries and Brazil focuses specially on Africa.
Brazilian vaccine
A unit of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Bio-Manguinhos, along with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a partner has come out with a Brazilian vaccine for the first time. This vaccine has been developed especially for export purposes. Brazil proudly announces the plan of producing an inexpensive rubella and measles vaccine that will be exported to the developing countries and the announcement was made in Rio de Janeiro at a medical science conference that was organized by the Gates Foundation .
Alexandre Padilha, the Brazilian Health Minister, said that under the partnership of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, almost 30 million doses, plan to be exported to Asian, Latin American and African nations by the year 2017.
The Microsoft’s Bill Gates foundation, had given a grant of almost 1 million USD to Brazil’s best and ace research facility , the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, for the clinical trials undertaken in developing the vaccine for export reasons. This low cost vaccine will be very affordable and the ideal choice for the developing countries. At the moment there is only one country that produces a similar kind of vaccine – India. In India the vaccine is produced by, the Serum Institute of India Ltd.
Development of the rubella measles vaccine
Bio-Manguinhos, a division of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), will be developing the vaccine and it will cost just about $ 0.54 per dose. The new plant that will be producing the vaccine will be put up in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is already exporting vaccines to nearly 75 countries and since 2003, Bio-Manguinhos, has been producing a high-cost vaccine that deals with measles, mumps and rubella along with GlaxoSmithKline Plc adhering to a technology transfer agreement. The only problem is that this vaccine is very difficult for the developing countries to afford.
Measles is a highly virulent and contagious infection that is transmitted through coughing and sneezing. Every year almost 15, 8000 people, including children less than 5 years, die because of measles, according to the data given by, the World Health Organization. Rubella or German measles spreads in the same manner and is also caused by a virus. If this viral infection attacks a woman in the first trimester of pregnancy it can lead to severe birth defects in the newly born baby and may even lead to death.
