The hospital of the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases was opened in 1918. At the time, it was called the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Its construction was part of the project to reformulate Brazilian public health prepared by Oswaldo Cruz.
The health unit played a strategic role in treating patients with a variety of infectious diseases. Initially, it received people with Chagas disease and was a reference center during the Spanish flu.
In 1925, doctor Evandro Chagas started working at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. He developed several studies to find a cure for Chagas disease and also worked on research aimed at reducing diseases transmitted by insects, mainly in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. The doctor died in a plane crash in 1940, and the hospital was named after Evandro Chagas to honor the professional.
Currently, the health unit, which is part of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation’s (Fiocruz) medical care network, treats infectious diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, dengue, zika and chikungunya. The director of Instituto Valdiléa Veloso says that the main focus is on the so-called neglected diseases that affect a poorer population.
“The private network invests few resources to treat these diseases, so the work of the Institute is essential to offer free and quality treatment to a population that faces financial difficulties.”
This Wednesday (25), Fiocruz celebrates 122 years.
milk bank
Fiocruz also coordinates the largest network of human milk banks in the world. The work is carried out by Instituto Fernandes Figueira, another unit of the foundation. The milk collected by banks is used to feed newborns who are hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (ICUs).
For almost a year, Rafaele Ribeiro has been one of the milk bank’s donors. She collects the material at home and once a week and delivers the milk to the institute.
“I feel really good because I’m helping to feed and save another child’s life. The donation is simple and does not harm my son’s diet”.
In milk banks, the material collected is analyzed in the laboratory to check the levels of acidity, fat and calories. Then the milk is pasteurized to avoid contamination. In all Brazilian states and in the Federal District, there is at least one milk bank unit.
The coordinator of the human milk bank, Danielle Silva, says that, in the first quarter of this year alone, more than 54,000 liters of milk were collected, benefiting about 56,400 babies.
“Milk is the best food there is for a newborn. When the baby is in the NICU, the mother cannot breastfeed and that is why the donation is very important because doctors use this milk to feed children.”
In addition to collecting and distributing human milk, the Fernandes Figueira Institute develops several projects to guide women on the correct way to breastfeed, to prevent breastfeeding from being interrupted early.
“Information is essential because women often stop breastfeeding due to lack of knowledge. Here at the institute, we teach the correct way to breastfeed and, with that, mothers do not interrupt this process early, which is fundamental for the child’s development”, says Danielle.
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