POST 01230E: VACCINE FREEZING PREVENTION: AIDE-MEMOIRE

POST 01230E: VACCINE FREEZING PREVENTION: AIDE-MEMOIRE 22 FEBRUARY 2008 ********************************************* Aide-memoire for prevention of freeze damage to vaccines (WHO/IVB/07.09) Cold chain storage is necessary to prevent damage to vaccine due to heat exposure, but keeping vaccines too cold can be just as harmful as keeping them too warm—many vaccines are damaged by freezing. WHO guidelines recommend that many liquid vaccines should not be frozen. Freezing of these vaccines results in loss of potency which can never be restored. Use of the vaccine can result in decreased effectiveness in recipients. This aide-memoire summarizes WHO guidance on prevention of vaccine freezing in a concise 2-page document that can be used as a reminder of previously published material and is ideally suited as a communications tool, job-aid or learning resource. http://www.who.int/immunization/documents/WHO_IVB_07.09/en/index.html All members of the TechNet21 e-Forum are invited to send comments on any posting or to use the forum to raise a new discussion or request technical information in relation to immunization services. The comments made in this forum are the sole responsibility of the writers and do not in any way mean that they are endorsed by any of the organizations and agencies to which the authors may belong. Visit the TECHNET21 Website at http://www.technet21.org You will find instructions to subscribe, a direct access to archives, links to reference documents and other features. To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message to : [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] Leave the subject area BLANK In the message body, write unsubscribe TECHNET21E The World Health Organization and UNICEF support TechNet21. The TechNet21 e-Forum is a communication/information tool for generation of ideas on how to improve immunization services. It is moderated by Padmini Menon and is hosted in cooperation with IT Power India (www.itpi.co.in)