Many would agree that Edward Jenner has contributed hugely by creating the first-ever vaccine for humankind. I regard the developers of vaccines as people who have been indebted to humanity for the rest of eternity. We cannot forget the black death, which wiped out millions of people in the 15th century. How can we forget the way smallpox, cholera, and chickenpox took away precious lives and loved ones, leaving us humans helpless and miserable?
But millions of thanks to the developers of vaccines who introduced the idea of immunity and saved so many life stories from turning into tragedies. Now, we see that we have vaccines for most of the deadliest viruses and bacteria, and it is due to these vaccines that our children can see beyond the 5th birthdays of their lives. They become great adults, ensuring the world is still a great and safe place to live.
Vaccine storage and maintenance
Vaccines, however, need a lot of care to maintain their efficacy. Almost all vaccines require a low temperature for maintenance. An ultra-freezer is usually advised for vaccine storage, and a cold chain is important when the vaccines are to be transported. The CDC has issued guidelines for the storage and maintenance of cold chains for every vaccine.
The CDC website for a specific vaccine clearly states that keeping track of the vaccine temperature is important. This makes it easy to assess whether the vaccines are still in their original state.
Sometimes, if we do not adequately maintain a chart in the form of a vaccine storage temperature checker, we fail to maintain the quality of the vaccine. Maintaining a chart or a checklist helps us keep and stay on track.
What to note down in the vaccine storage temperature checker
As the name indicates, we will see the temperature at which the vaccine is stored. But before that, we need information about each vaccine’s normal temperatures. The required temperature ranges for refrigerators and freezers are always different. A generally accepted range is 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for the fridge and -50 to -15 for the freezer.
We need to consider the temperature required for each vaccine. A temperature log ensures that all vaccines are stored at their optimum and recommended temperature.
We can appreciate 2 or 3 portions of the vaccine temperature tracker. One portion will have temperature ranges that are normal and safe for the vaccine. Above that portion, the vaccine will have a dangerous temperature range.
The warning or dangerous portion of the vaccine temperature tracker has two additional portions for warm and cold temperatures. Generally, these two portions are either highlighted or color-coded and written in bold letters to make it visible for anyone to see which vaccine has entered the dangerous temperature zone.
We can mark and dispose of the wasted vaccines in the danger zone on the vaccine temperature tracker.
Written by Dr. Fatima (MBBS, FCPS).
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