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Evaluation of the Cold-Chain for Oral Polio Vaccine in a Rural District of India

2007; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 122; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/003335490712200116

1468-2877

Yogindra Samant, Hemant Lanjewar, David H. Wegman, Lester E. Block, Gajendra S Tomar, Ben Stein,

COVID-19 epidemiological studies

Dr. Samant and colleagues help remind us that even the best vaccine programs are limited by our ability to dis tribute the vaccine and maintain its potency. Vaccines are sensitive biological substances that lose their potency, particularly when exposed to higher temperatures. Of course, the places where the vaccination programs are operating are rural areas in developing countries with limited resources and limited staff. Things as simple as coolers or refrigerators may not be available. The article describes the vulnerable areas where potency loss is most likely to occur: out in the rural districts. One can see that the vulnerability increases as the vaccine moves from the larger medical centers to the smaller centers. The number of facilities studied is small, but the data illustrate a real world concern: distance and potency (maintaining the cold chain) were inversely related. The authors do recommend appropriate practices for improving the potency; however, several require capital that may not be available, such as investing in a reliable electrical source for the clinics. This article reminds us that public health requires tools beyond instruments and pharmaceutical agents, and some of these tools are fairly simple. Effective vaccination programs in the developing world can be severely limited by things that are normally taken for granted in the more developed countries.