03:00 | Rio de Janeiro | Brasil

Dr Ricardo Gil operated on five-year old Giovanna yesterday to remove her infected appendix. The essential surgical procedure over, treatment must continue even at three o’clock in the morning. To help her through the post-operative pain, Dr Gil prescribes a weak analgesic to help make Giovanna comfortable. And it is at this point that aluminium foil becomes an essential part of of Giovanna’s care plan.The advent of controlled dosage of drugs owes much to alufoil. These packs allow the correct single dosage to be dispensed and administered, whether for self-medication or in a hospital environment. The hygienic and protective properties of alufoil used in blister packs provide a barrier against external factors such as heat and moisture, keep the contents sterile and assist in the transportation of drugs by protecting temperature-sensitive and fragile products from the rigours of often long-distance distribution and long-term storage. Blister packs are suitable for all types of tablets and capsules. They are also instrumental in providing a successful means of marketing Over the Counter (OTC) treatments in a variety of retail outlets. Examples of usage here include vitamins, flu and allergy treatments. To ensure safety, considerable work has been put into creating child-resistant blister packs that are both easy to use for adults, protective of the medicine they contain, and difficult for children to open. All of which is why little Giovanna is safe in her hospital bed.