Guidelines on the international packaging and shipping of vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) document, Guidelines on the international packaging and shipping of vaccines, has been one of the most widely used manuals in the field of immunization. It is referenced by UNICEF and PAHO in all their invitations to bid for vaccine supplies and also by countries that directly procure their vaccines. This 2005 edition* takes into account new developments in the field of vaccine stability, temperature monitoring and information on recently prequalified vaccines. In addition to the updated volume per dose of vaccine, it provides data on the packed volume of diluents and droppers and includes transport-box bulking factors for countries where insulated packages are used for the storage of vaccines. A special section on temperature monitoring has been added to describe the temperature limits for international shipments.