Inaugurated on May 25, 1900, under the name of Federal Serotherapy Institute, Fiocruz was given the mission of fighting the great problems of public health in Brazil. Therefore, Fiocruz became a think tank concerned with the Brazilian reality and experimental medicine.

Fiocruz has units and offices in 11 states in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Amazonas, Bahia, Brasília DF, Ceará, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rondônia) and also has an office in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, in Africa.

To promote health and social development, to forge and disseminate scientific and technological knowledge, to be an agent of citizenship. These are the concepts that have guided Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, known as Fiocruz), attached to the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the most prominent science and technology health institution in Latin America.

Today the institution is responsible for a range of activities which include research development; highly-regarded hospital and ambulatory care services; production of vaccines, drugs, reagents, and diagnostic kits; education and training of human resources; information and communication in the area of health, science and technology; quality control of products and services, and the implementation of social programs. It has over 12,000 employees and health professionals with different levels of involvement, a workforce proud of being at the service of life.

www.fiocruz.br