Vaccines have made the world a safer place to live.
These simple medical treatments we all but take for granted nowadays were monumental decades ago. They’ve saved lives, reduced the incident of disability and have allowed entire populations to live more freely than ever. This type of technology, as you can imagine, takes a lot of work to maintain. The pharmaceutical freezer is just one in a long line of storage solutions needed to make sure this incredible medical advancement isn’t compromised from lab to syringe. It’s worth taking another look at your medical fridge freezer and determining whether it needs to be replaced or simply adjusted.
Here’s what you should know about the pharmaceutical freezer, vaccine storage refrigerators and how to make sure you’re never compromising your vaccine quality.
The History Of Vaccines
Vaccines have been around for over 300 y ears. Back in the late 1700’s Edward Jenner first developed the ‘arm to arm’ inoculation against smallpox, creating a revolutionary vaccine that involved taking material a blister of someone infected and injecting it into another person’s skin. Large-scale vaccine production then became possible in the late 1940’s, with the most commonly recommended vaccines including tetanus, pertussis and smallpox. Today vaccines can be received at any number of hospitals, clinics and walk-in pharmacies, even without an appointment.
Vaccines In Use Today
Today vaccines are one of the most common medical procedures. They save countless lives every year and are responsible for what is known as ‘herd immunity’, a term used to describe protecting more vulnerable aspects of the population from illness. These include the elderly, people with compromised immune systems and very young children. The World Health Organizations as well as the Measles and Rubella Initiative have estimated over 17 million lives have been saved by the measles vaccination since 2000. In fact, between 2000 and 2014 the number of measles-related deaths decreased by 80%.
Vaccines Around The World
Without vaccines our world would be a more dangerous place to live in. There are still many areas that are without steady access to this life-saving medication. A recent study determined at least 25 million children around the world do not have access to the routine vaccine series they should receive by the time they’re one year old. More studies have found a little over 90% of children between 19 and 35 months have received the Polio vaccine. Lastly, the CDC has estimated as many as 700,000 flu-related hospitalizations have occurred, despite the flu being a very common and easily prevented illness.
Distributing The Flu Shot
One of the most discussed cases today is that of the flu. More virulent than the common cold, but nearly as widespread, the flu has been taking far more lives than usual in the past few years. Since 2010 as many as 55,000 flu-related deaths have occurred, with many of these having the capacity to be prevented. Common symptoms of the flu include high fevers, diarrhea and vomiting. The flu shot is adjusted on a yearly basis to stay ahead of the constantly mutating virus, making it important families visit their family doctor regularly to make sure they’re always protected.
Properly Using Vaccine Storage Containers
The pharmaceutical freezer is one of the most important tools the medical industry has today. Vaccines are highly finicky and require a carefully maintained temperature to keep them as effective as possible. Today there are over 335,000 medical and clinical laboratory technician jobs in the United States, with some revolving significantly around the pharmaceutical freezer and various storage methods. Three important steps are necessary to make sure your undercounter lab refrigerator is working properly. You need to store vaccines at their ideal temperature, record daily temperatures at the start of the workday and double-check every time you access the refrigerator.
We’re incredibly fortunate to have vaccines. Make sure your pharmaceutical freezer is always up to the task.