PIXABAY, PUBLICDOMAINPICTURESEarlier this month, the New Jersey Department of Health announced that 900 children statewide received vaccines that may not have been stored properly. Pediatrician Michael Bleiman allegedly hadn’t refrigerated the shots at the right temperatures, compromising the efficacy of the immunizations and potentially putting kids’ health at risk—not to mention causing headaches for hundreds of families and physicians who now have to determine whether these children need to be revaccinated.
Globally, the problem of improperly stored vaccines is extensive and persistent, especially in developing countries. Many vaccines have a narrow window of allowable storage temps—often 2° C to 8° C. And, according to Raja Rao, a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, limited storage space, poorly performing refrigerators, and a lack of technical support lead to tens of millions of immunizations wasted annually.
At nearly every point along this so-called cold chain—the temperature-controlled safeguarding of vaccines from manufacturer to recipient—people are working to fortify the links. Packaging upgrades, for instance, now alert health care providers if temperatures get too hot or too cold with color-changing sensors. Refrigerator design has also evolved, so even if malfunctioning, the appliances can no longer drop ...
