Trends in Uptake and Impact of Thermostable Vaccines in Africa

Abstract

To ensure that the vaccine's stability and viability are maintained, vaccines need to be stored at cooler temperatures. Exposing a vaccine to extreme freezing conditions and high temperatures may result in the loss of its potency and viability. Therefore, the cold chain ensures that the potency of a vaccine is maintained. Thermostable vaccines come up to address the challenges faced while trying to maintain vaccines in a cold chain. Almost 80% of prequalified vaccines require cold chain systems to maintain their potency which is not feasible in settings that lack electricity connections and vaccine storage equipment. Thermostable vaccines, however, are technological advancements believed to solve this problem since they do not depend on cold chain mechanisms for vaccine transport and storage. For example, a pilot study that was done in Uganda shows that the Gardasil vaccine is a heat-stable vaccine and can be kept for 130 months or more at 25°C, 1.5 years at 37°C, and 3 months at 42°C. Another similar study was conducted to check the thermostability of the Menafrivac vaccine. Results indicate that Menafrivac can survive a temperature of up to 40°C for 4 days. This study involved a narrative review of published articles to assess the trends in the uptake of thermostable vaccines and their impact in Africa. The results show that majority of health care providers had poor knowledge regarding thermostable vaccines. Nevertheless, the acceptability of thermostable vaccines by health care providers is quite high because the majority of them are aware of various problems posed during transportation, and storage of vaccine as far as stability and viability is concerned.