Conditioning of ice-packs to 'IMMUNIZE the vaccinated'

While monitoring Routine Immunization sessions, finding fully melted relatively warm ice-packs but Vaccine Vial Monitor(VVM) in usable condition is common, but finding frozen ‘T’ series vaccines with unconditioned ice-packs in the field is also common. VVM being heat sensitive cannot measure freeze exposure. Often, Cold Chain Handlers (CCH) were also amazed because vials were issued in the liquid form but found frozen in the field. Monitors of first generation had the belief that 'colder the better' and even now insist on the use of hard frozen ice-packs. In the last three decades, quite a few service providers expressed that following DPT vaccination, beneficiaries complained of development of a firm nodule at the site of the injection. Occurrence of vaccine preventable disease (VPD) among the vaccinated, specially whooping cough was also noticed by the practitioners and brought to the notice of service providers during advocacy/review meetings/workshops. Sharing the effect of freezing of freeze-sensitive vaccines and the preventive measures can help in effective immunization of the vaccinated. One page of information is attached for sharing with mid-level managers. Conditioning-of-Ice-packs.pdf