Shot in the arm by UAE for Egyptian vaccine company

Cairo - "The vaccines is a shot in the arm for a number of production lines, and provide the control laboratories to shore up the capability of vaccines and serum tests."

As many as 10 million vaccines will be produced and will be in service in January next year, a five fold increase since they were launched earlier.
The project which costs US$12 million (Dh44 million) is part of the UAE assistance to Egypt, Dr. Nabil AL Beblawi, chairman of the Egyptian company for producing vaccines and serums, better known as VACSERA told the UAE media delegation. In a press briefing held here on Wednesday, Dr, Beblawi said the needs of the ministry of health for scorpion and snake vaccines have been met, and the strategic stock of the two vaccines will cater for the needs of the ministry for eight months.
The contract was signed to export the scorpion and snake vaccines and Tetanus vaccine to Sudan at a cost of 5 million euros, he disclosed. The UAE funds and supervises the execution of improving the vaccines production line to cater to the needs of Egyptians for these vaccines as well as the insulin for diabetics, he said.
"The vaccines are a shot in the arm for a number of production lines, and provide the control laboratories to shore up the capability of vaccines and serum tests, and maintain their safety and validity", he noted.
He said the project gains importance as it is related to preventive and other therapeutic issues on providing care to the citizens, as it meets 55 per cent need for vaccines in Egypt.
"The development of the vaccines production lines increases Egypt's self-sufficiency from 15 to 80 per cent, and these include polio, whopping cough, diphtheria vaccines among others", he said.
It also upgrades the country's preventive medicines in facing diseases like polio, cholera, as well as make available vaccines for the compulsory inoculation to prevent children from contracting contagious diseases, The improvement of insulin production line achieves 100 per cent for self sufficiency to secure the requirements of diabetics, and replace the imports with the locally produced ones as well as upgrade the medic care for Egyptian citizens.

• MENA