Realtime Visibility of Temperature and Location of Vaccines at Last-Mile (during transportation)

In the world, which is still recovering from the shock of pandemic, possibly we are heading towards another healthcare outburst, so far within this year, 26 cases of Wild Polio Viruses have been reported from 4 countries including Pakistan-17, Mozambique-5, Afghanistan- 4, and Malawi-1. Being in proximity with some of these countries as well as due to ever increasing Globalisation, India is also under the threat, in spite maintaining its polio free status since 2011. A National level campaign viz.?National Immunization Days (NIDs), with bOPV is already going on in country beginning this 18th September 2022.?

Zainab, a District Cold Chain Handler, started her preparation weeks back for the NIDs, she raised the request for more stocks of bOPV from regional store. On 10th of September, she received information from regional store that campaign vaccines have been dispatched. Regular supply of routine vaccines also have been bundled with the consignment, which was supposed to reach the district by 4 pm same day. However, vehicle was nowhere to be seen till 6.30 pm, this got Zainab worried. To add to her worries mobile number of drivers was not reachable. She was immensely concerned about the temperature maintenance of vaccines, which were supplied through a passive container (cold boxes).

Likewise, next day, Zainab was curious if she can get hold of any information or update regarding the whereabouts and temperature status of vaccine supplied by her to the last cold chain points within the district.

On the day of campaign, i.e., 18th September, Zainab started at 5 am in morning, to dispatch vaccines to different polio booths and transit points. She prepared 54 vaccine carriers, to be sent in field. Late in morning, at around 9 am, realizing the day being little sunnier, she was again apprehensive, about the temperature maintenance status of the vaccines, sent to the field. In the evening, she received 53 vaccine carriers only and has to make numerous calls to track that one missing vaccine carrier.

Not only Zainab, hundreds of cold chain handlers across the country face these issues, which can be easily managed through agreeable Real Time Temperature Monitoring Devices (RTMD), that are set up correctly, maintained appropriately, and repaired as needed. These RTMD protects beneficiaries from inadvertently receiving compromised vaccine and your facility against costs of revaccinating them, replacing expensive vaccines, and losing community confidence in health system. India is a leader in such initiatives and introduced a mobile/web-based mechanism, #eVIN to increase the visibility of temperature of refrigerators (ILR).

However, Zainab’s concern was also related to location of the vaccines as well as temperature status of same when her vaccines were in transportation within the cold boxes. Like eVIN (for refrigerator), there is a ready to use solution available to address such concerns in passive containers too.

The Global Tracker Mini (GT Mini), a small, made in India device, which may be retrofitted to any new/old passive container (cold boxes/VC), comes with 5 years long replaceable battery. It apprises the program managers like Zainab and others, about the real time temperature as well as location of the vaccine in field. GT Mini Operates on Wireless Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Technology. In addition, it provides ambient temperature information as well as gives alarm too, in adverse cabinet temperature conditions.

Considering the burden of HPV cancer in India, and recent production of indigenous HPV vaccine, it is expected to be introduced HPV vaccine within country’s Universal Immunization Program. HPV vaccine is a strong candidate for “Controlled Temperature Chain” supply, and this makes GT Mini more relevant.

I would conclude by hoping that keeping in perspective the everyday challenges of tracking, innovations like GT Mini, will keep on providing the desired solution to ensure smooth rollout as well as administration of vaccines across the countries. This will ease the work of program managers like Zainab as well as to ensure the safe delivery of vaccines to beneficiaries.?