Vaccine storage

This is used for all current US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed human vaccines and in low and middle-income countries.

Immunization of six illnesses was being transported, including tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, and polio.

[5][9] Dr. Rafe Henderson, the first director of EPI, designed a plan to deliver temperature-sensitive vaccines across dozens of countries safely.

[10] It was an important step to ensure that the vaccines were maintained in their determined conditions and guides towards the development of the cold chain.

[5] This urge EPI to create a strategy to encompasses both vaccines and medicines to be able to sustain their components without the need of storage.

With the initiatives of reducing temperature sensitivity of vaccines and regulation permits, it could eliminate the need for refrigeration in the supply chain.

[7] Temperature too cold can result in an irreversible reaction that reduces vaccines potency and loss in adjuvant effect.

[15] Visible signs of physical changes after exposure to undesirable temperature are not necessary to result in a decrease of vaccine potency.

Many combination units cool the refrigerator using air from the freezer, resulting in different temperature zones inside the fridge.

[15] WHO has set standards to ensure the cold chain types of equipment can sustain different vaccines in health facilities.

Refrigerators are the most common type of storage in health facilities as they can hold many vaccines in one single unit.

[18] Dippin' Dots, a manufacturer of frozen desserts, had previously created equipment to preserve its products.

It is a self-supporting container with insulation and ice-packs surrounding the interior to keep vaccines at low temperatures.

[23] Water packs are flat and leak-proof plastic containers used in the interiors of cold boxes and vaccine carriers.

It is just a soft sponge that ensures the vials stay in place and prolong the desired temperature inside the containers.

[6] Although the risk of storage cooler malfunction is low, it is better to check than the need to replace vaccines wasted due to the loss of potency.

[14] Thermometers are useful to monitor the temperature by placing at the storage unit's central location, adjacent to the vaccines.

There are many different thermometers, including standard fluid-filled, min-max, and continuous temperature monitoring devices.