by Drew Meek, WHO/QSS; Sheila Cattell, IFPMA; and Joanie Robertson, PATH In the packaged food and consumer products industries, barcodes have become a way of life. Most large supermarkets around the world use barcode scanners at the checkout counter, and an average smartphone can now scan barcodes...

by David Lubinski, PATH; Wendy Bomett-Dodie, USAID | Deliver; and Chipopa Kazuma, Medical Stores Limited, Zambia In February 2011, Zambia’s Ministry of Health invited partners involved in supply chain management to help them develop a shared vision, roadmap, and user requirements for a logistics ma...

This article appears in the 23 June 2011 issue of Vaccine: "Assessing the potency of oral polio vaccine kept outside of the cold chain during a national immunization campaign in Chad". This study provides proof-of-concept evidence that certain typs of OPV remain potent and thus can be kept, for limi...

Dear Moderator, I wish to underline that GAVI's push for more funds for vaccines has been questioned by the MSF. I think GAVI needs to respond to MSF and clarify their stand so that everyone knows why is something being done and at what cost. Also we wish to know what is GAVI doing for transfer of t...

Our NGO- Mission India Foundation (www.mifusa.org) has taken up another vaccine to make it accessible to kids in rural parts of India. We have the target to immunize 5000 kids and teenagers (2-18 years age) in the year 2011. We are using a Intra-muscular vi-polysaccharide vaccine for the purpose. My...

All vaccines are to be kept between 2 to 8 degree C both in Public and Private sector. I feel there is a need for 'COLD REVOLUTION' to immunize the vaccinated. Cold-revolutionP1.pdf Cold-revolutionP2.pdf...

Sharing the photos of 'VACCINE SAFE' a fridge for keeping vaccines which is locally designed for the private sector are attached. It has one zone maintaining 2 to 8 degree C temperature....

In collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc. and GSK, PATH Seattle has prepared a list of countries where each of these company's vaccines is licensed and a world map showing the countries where one of the vaccines is licensed for use and the countries where both vaccines are licensed for use. These ...

Any updates about how soon we may see HiB and Pneumococcal vaccines included in the national immunization schedule of India? What stage are the efforts of the government in this regard?...

In recent years, supply chain management has received growing attention as both a priority and a challenge for many countries scaling up immunization services with new vaccines. Indeed, the vaccine supply chain and logistics systems face the challenge to manage an increasing number of vaccines of hi...

WHO recommends that "Every refrigerator storing vaccines should have a freeze indicator" [Immunization in Practice, Module 3: The cold chain, 2004 update]. This is because the risk of freezing may be a more important danger to vaccines than heat, especially with Vaccine Vial Monitors (VVM...

I have designed a Cover page for the RI Microplan Booklet depicting the National Immunization Schedule in the 'horoscope like' matrix. This is used by the planning units in Karnataka. RI-Coverpage.pdf...

Health Centers are provided with Ice Lined Refrigerators for keeping the vaccines of one mothh requirement. ILR has 3 baskets, one in the bottom 'A' zone with lower end temperature and 2 upper baskets in zone 'B' at higher end of critically set temperature of 2 to 8 degree centigrade. Since the heat...

GoI is planning to put in place open vial policy at the facility level. In that context I would like to get comments from the members on a draft opertional guideline. This has been prepared from WHO and other resources on open vial policy. We intend to draft a pictorial guidlines covering following ...

The impact of financial and organizational logistics actions on health programs remain a major challenge for managers of health. Indeed, the logistics as essential support to build and complete a program of health must be optimized in terms of cost and efficiency for implementation of quality health...

Many thanks to Diana Chang Blanc for sharing these documents with the forum! According to the press release: "Donors committed US$ 4.3 billion at the first pledging conference held by the GAVI Alliance. This exceeds an initial target of $3.7 billion, enabling GAVI to reach more children fast...

Auto-combustion incinerators are preheated with biomass (wood, dung, other) for about 30mn, and then rely on the operator to keep temperatures in bounds (600-900 deg C) by knowing when to load what for 3 hrs, and then finish with a 30mn biomass burn-down period. • Biomass is used to get the system...

Pentavalent stories: Lucknow deaths subjudice   http://hindu.com/2010/08/24/stories/2010082457281300.htm Initially, it was said that three deaths had occurred due to the anti-measles vaccine and one death due to the BCG shot. Then it was said the children were given BCG vaccine instead of a...

The vaccine programme has become more complicated in the last few years, and more vaccines that have to be reconstituted have become commonplace in health facility fridges. At the same time, other programmes have increased the reach of their interventions to health facilities, and several therapeuti...

Friends - please see here the Call to Action recently approved by the GAVI Alliance Civil Society Constituency Steering Committee regarding the forthcoming Pledging Conference on June 13 in London. We invite your endorsement of the Call. If you/your organization wish to endorse the Call, please so...