POST 00446E : USE OF VVMs ON ALL VACCINES

POST 00446E : USE OF VVMs ON ALL VACCINES 15 April 2002 ______________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Jayaprakash of UNICEF/Micronesia contributes the following comments on on VVMs. His questions are partly answered and further information will be sought about study plans and if other countries than Vietnam are to be involved. ------------------------------------------ It is quite interesting to note the behavior of VVM of OPV. In Pacific Island countries where I have been working, the changes in VVM does not occur very fast. The ambient temperature obviously has to do a lot on this. The temperature doesn't go beyond 40 degrees Celsius often. Which are the countries the measles VVM going to be tested and are there any results of any field studies done in this regard? I will be interested to know. Dr VT Jayaprakash UNICEF Project Officer- Health Federated States of Micronesia _______________________________________________________________________________ Dr Jules Millogo, from the BASICS Project/S�n�gal also shares the following: -------------------------------------------- I understand that the VVM for Measles is located on the top of the vial. If this is the case, it may not be very useful once the vial as been open. ________________________________________________________________________________ To which �mit Kartoglu from WHO/Geneva replies extensively. This information will be very valuable to everybody in the field. Please also note the announcement on full compliance with VVM implementation on HepB vaccines and the list of recipient countries of HepB vaccine with VVMs (type VVM30). The attached document provides a history of VVM's development. -------------------------------------------- "This is exactly why the VVM is placed on top of the cap. No one should refer to VVM after the reconstitution. Because you have to discard the reconstituted vials within 6 hours or at the end of the session whichever comes first. This is strongly emphasized in all VVM trainings. VVM specifications that was given as an attachment to TechNet posting 00444E (3 April 2002) gives very clear explanation on this: QUOTE "For freeze dried vaccines: The VVM shall be attached to the vaccine vial or ampoule, remaining readily observable until the vial or ampoule is opened but not observable after opening. Prior to opening, the VVM should not be removable: it should resist removal from the vaccine vial as much as a label meeting current requirements." END QUOTE For same reasons, VVMs for freeze-dried vaccines in ampoules are placed on the neck of the ampoule to allow health workers to remove and discard it during the reconstitution process. I would like to take this opportunity to announce full compliance of LG Chemical Inv. Ltd. with their VVM implementation on HepB vaccines. Mr. Yongjae Lee, Senior Manager, Quality Assurance Team at Iksan Pharmaceutical Plant, LG Chemical Investment, Ltd. informed WHO with recipient countries of HepB vaccine with VVMs (type VVM30): Azerbaijan, Albania, Cape Verde, Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, Fiji, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Yugoslavia and Zambia. The attached document gives a good history and milestones on VVM implementation from 1979 to date." ##text##