Brazil launches campaign to combat sales of fake COVID-19 vaccines

BRASILIA - Brazil launched an online public health campaign on Thursday to combat the marketing of fake COVID-19 vaccines.

The campaign aims to raise public awareness of the health risks involved in using those vaccines, and currently only Brazil's Unified Health System is authorized to supply COVID-19 vaccines free-of-charge, said the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

The campaign will be carried out on social media by public agencies including the National Council for Combating Piracy and Intellectual Property Crimes, an advisory body under the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

Meanwhile, the National Secretariat for Consumer Affairs said in a memo that it is reviewing over 2,000 websites including e-commerce platforms suspected of offering pirated vaccines or deceiving consumers.

The agency has opened an online channel exclusive for vaccine fraud complaints.