Safe vaccine storage is a crucial element in protecting patients against disease. Healthcare facilities and vaccine suppliers should review and implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for vaccine storage and handling. These guidelines described in their Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit apply to all facilities that handle vaccines. Providers participating in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program should pay particular attention to these guidelines, and should consult their immunization program for specific recommendations and requirements.
Failure to store vaccines properly can lead to a loss of patient confidence in the immunization program. Revaccination is necessary if vaccines administered have been compromised due to inappropriate temperatures or mishandling. These errors also result in significant financial loss when vaccines cannot be used and have to be disposed of.
Correct vaccine storage is an essential part of delivering quality patient care. To maintain vaccine efficacy, the vaccine cold chain must be maintained. According to the CDC, the vaccine cold chain is a temperature-controlled environment used to maintain and distribute vaccines under optimal conditions. It begins at the manufacturer and ends at the vaccine administration site. If the vaccine cold chain is not maintained, the vaccine will lose its efficacy and become ineffective.
Refrigerators should maintain temperatures between 2° C and 8° C (36° F and 46° F). Freezers should maintain temperatures between -50° C and -15° C (-58° F and +5° F). Refrigerator or freezer thermostats should be set at the factory-set temperature or the midpoint, which will reduce the likelihood of temperature excursions. Consult your owner's manual to find out how to operate the thermostat. The only way to know the temperature at which vaccines are stored is to measure and monitor it using a temperature monitoring device.
Thermis Log the single-use temperature data logger is specifically designed for the pharmaceutical and medical industries. With an accuracy of 0.3℃, this logger is ideal for recording temperature-sensitive shipments, including vaccine shipments. This temperature logger is less expensive, easy to use, space-saving and generates non-editable PDF data reports by plugging the logger into a PC.
We offer various models with different features (7, 15, 30, 60 or 90 available) to meet the specific needs of each application. The Thermis Log disposable temperature recorder is ideal for pharmaceuticals, food, life sciences, freezers, medical cabinets, coolers, freezers, laboratories, vaccines and protein products.