subject: Storing Live Vaccines Such As Mmrv, Varicella And Zoster [print this page] These vaccines are live vaccines and must be kept frozen until they are administered. They are very sensitive to heat and need to be maintained below 5F (-15C). They will begin to deteriorate as soon as they are removed from the freezer.
These vaccines are also sensitive to light and should be stored in their shipping containers until removed from the freezer for administration.
To insure that you are administering potent vaccines you must insure that the freezer where you are storing them is working properly.
Make sure that:
Your freezer is working properly by checking with an accurate thermometer.
Monitor your freezer continuously with a freezer alarm that also logs the temperature. One with a visible chart is best so that you can see what the temperature was when you were not present.
Attach an external alert device to the freezer alarm and monitor so that you will be notified if the temperature becomes unsafe. One that calls several phone numbers is best.
Know something about the defrost cycle of your freezer. The defrost cycle can happen once a day or several times a day. Make sure that it does not take the temperature above 5F or 15C. You can insure that this is not happening with your freezer alarm and monitor by looking at the chart displayed.
Set your freezer alarm so that it allows for momentary temperature fluctuations such as when the door is opened without setting off the alarm.
The picture below shows three freezer alarms monitoring a total of six freezers. The device on the bottom right is an auto dialer that will call four different phone numbers if any one of the six freezers experiences a power failure or a temperature that is above 5F. The freezer alarm displays a chart of the temperature history storing and showing over 1.5 years of temperature history.
This is just one example of a freezer alarm system for a freezer storing live vaccines. It is easy to install and use. Since the freezer alarms constantly show a chart of the previous temperatures, which all personnel can see it is impossible to come near the freezers without being reminded that temperature is important. And since the freezer alarms are constantly taking the freezer temperature you have a record of the temperature for even those times when you were not present, such as in the evening or during weekends and holidays.
