By saving costs

Pakistan 2015: 28% of the equipment is older than 10 years and 26% is classified as domestic fridge (non-PQS) which are not recommended for vaccine storage.

Ethiopia 2011: Lack of maintenance has lead to 30% of cold chain equipment being non-functional.

Ghana 2013: About 41% of fridges and freezers were over 10 years, 25% not functioning. There is also frequent break-down of CCE due to poor maintenance culture and erratic power supply.”

CCEOP is the result of a gradually increasing awareness of the importance of a reliable cold chain for safeguarding vaccines.

Studies have shown that cold chains in many countries are unreliable, and that vaccines are at risk of exposure to damaging temperature.

With the introduction of new vaccines, common equipment failures — a broken refrigerator, a leaky ice pack — can easily damage thousands of dollars of vaccines.

Compared to investments in vaccines, investments needed in supply & logistics are marginal but absolutely critical to see health gains promised by new vaccines.

In 2014 and 2015, Pakistan was forced to discard US$3.4 million in pentavalent vaccines when vaccine vial monitors indicated exposure to excessively high temperatures.

In my experience, 50-75% of the problems to reach the “5th child” could be solved through cold chain improvements.

2.8 million vaccine doses lost in 2011 in five countries due to cold chain failure.