Cold chain logistics and technologies
As new and more expensive vaccines become available, it is critical that country storage capacity is bolstered to protect temperature-sensitive products from damage and to achieve immunization coverage and impact. Innovative cold chain logistics systems and technologies can help improve the reliability of vaccine distribution, reduce unnecessary wastage of valuable vaccines, and help to strengthen the overall immunization system.
PATH is working with partners to evaluate and improve vaccine distribution and management from a variety of angles. Visit PATH’s website to learn more about its collaboration with the World Health Organization to create forward-thinking strategies and policies to improve immunization logistics. With additional collaborators, PATH is advancing technologies that help to more effectively store, monitor, and transport vaccines (e.g., solar refrigerators that do not require batteries and refrigerators that eliminate the risk of freezing). PATH is also helping to advance a new tool for tracking countrywide cold chain equipment inventories and helping immunization managers to use this evidence base to plan for the arrival of new vaccines.
View resources on cold chain logistics and technologies
Key resources
Assessing the Potency of Oral Polio Vaccine Kept Outside of the Cold Chain During a National Immunization Campaign in Chad (2011)
An article about a study of the potency of monovalent oral polio vaccine type 3 kept at ambient temperatures during a polio immunization campaign in Chad.
Freezing Temperatures in the Vaccine Cold Chain: A Systematic Literature Review (2007)
An article that highlights the pervasiveness of accidental freezing across the cold chain and makes recommendations for addressing the problem.
Featured PATH resources
Achieving the Global Vision for Future Immunization Supply and Logistics Systems: Action Plans (2012)
Action plans designed to help achieve the common vision for the future of immunization supply systems developed by the Cold Chain and Logistics Task Force.
Domestic Refrigerators for Vaccine Storage in Tunisia: Conclusion and Recommendations (2012)
A document that summarizes a laboratory report on performance testing of four models of domestic refrigerators for vaccine storage that are available on the Tunisian market.
Page last updated: February 2013.
