Nexleaf Analytics, 1964 Westwood Blvd. Suite 410, Los Angeles, CA 90025, United States.
Clinton Health Access Initiative, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Vaccine. 2020 Nov 10;38(48):7683-7687. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.09.078. Epub 2020 Oct 17.
Vaccine Vial Monitors (VVM) are used to estimate if a vaccine has been exposed to excessive hot temperatures. This endpoint measurement is useful in determining if a vaccine is safe to be administered to a patient, but it does not pinpoint where in the cold chain a vaccine was exposed to excessive heat. With the expansion and technological advancement of cold chain equipment temperature monitoring, it is now possible to remotely estimate VVM status as a vaccine moves through the cold chain. In the present study, we examine the application of the mathematical principles backing VVMs on real, continuous, temperature monitoring data in Africa. Results suggest that exposure to short bursts of hot temperature or long power outages may still allow for safe distribution of affected vaccines. The remaining VVM life calculation could improve managerial visibility into cold chain equipment performance allowing for better data-driven planning and maintenance decisions.
疫苗瓶监测器（VVM）用于估计疫苗是否暴露于过高的温度下。这个终点测量对于确定疫苗是否可以安全地给患者使用非常有用，但它并不能确定疫苗在冷链中的哪个环节暴露于过高的温度。随着冷链设备温度监测的扩展和技术进步，现在可以在疫苗通过冷链的过程中远程估计 VVM 的状态。在本研究中，我们检查了 VVM 背后的数学原理在非洲实际连续温度监测数据中的应用。结果表明，短暂暴露于高温或长时间停电仍可能允许安全分发受影响的疫苗。剩余的 VVM 寿命计算可以提高管理层对冷链设备性能的可见性，从而可以更好地做出数据驱动的规划和维护决策。
