The Vaccine Cold Chain

What is cold chain?

The term cold chain is the name given to the system of transporting and storing vaccines within the safe temperature range of 2ºC - 8ºC.

The success of any immunisation program depends on administering effective vaccines. Vaccines quickly lose effectiveness if they get too hot or cold during transport and storage. It is therefore essential to maintain an unbroken cold chain for the vaccines from the point of manufacture, during transport and during storage in a refrigerator until they are used to vaccinate someone.

The cold chain involves all the people, equipment and procedures which ensure that an effective vaccine reaches the people who need it - usually children.

Why is cold chain important?

Vaccines are delicate biological substances which should be maintained at temperatures between 2ºC - 8ºC to ensure their effectiveness.

Vaccines can become less effective or even lose their effectiveness altogether if they:

Get too hot
Freeze
Are exposed to light

The loss of effectiveness is cumulative and cannot be reversed.

REMEMBER - All vaccines can be safely kept in the temperature range 2ºC - 8ºC.

Most Vaccines MUST NOT BE FROZEN. Freezing oral poliomyelitis vaccines (OPV) will not reduce its effectiveness but freezing will damage most other vaccines.

DO NOT FREEZE THESE VACCINES

DTP (Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine "Triple antigen")
CDT (Combined diphtheria-tetanus vaccine)
ADT (Adult diphtheria-tetanus vaccine)
TT (Tetanus toxoid) · Hib vaccines
Hepatitis B Vaccine · Hepatitis A Vaccine
Monovalent pertussis vaccine
Influenza vaccine

Some vaccines must not be exposed to light.

DO NOT EXPOSE THESE VACCINES TO LIGHT:

BCG Vaccine
Reconstituted MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) vaccine
Oral poliomyelitis vaccine (OPV)

N.B. Expiry dates can be effected by poor vaccine handling and may mean that the administered vaccine is ineffective. This may expose practices to litigation.