The Best Practices for Vaccine Temperature Monitoring
                     The Best Practices for Vaccine Temperature 
Monitoring 
 
 
You should store vaccines at the right temperature to prevent damages. You should monitor the 
freezer temperature to ensure the temperature is right.  
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Vaccines are delicate items. They need special care and specific temperature environments for 
effective storage. If you fail to keep vaccines at the right temperature, they will lose potency 
and become unfit for use.  
 
When your vaccine stock gets damaged, two things can happen. One, you cannot provide 
vaccine administration to people. Two, you have to throw away the damaged vaccine stock 
worth substantial monetary value. 
 
 
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended using data loggers for 
medical refrigerators and lab freezers. A data logger monitors the cold storage unit's 
temperature that stores vaccines. It is also called a thermal recorder. 
 
It is critical to maintaining the requisite temperature inside the freezer that stores your vaccines 
to preserve the vaccines' potency. Additionally, it is necessary to keep track of the temperature 
fluctuations inside the freezer by devices, such as a data logger or remote temperature logger. 
 
While vaccines protect people against diseases, damaged vaccines also take many lives. One of 
the common reasons for vaccines getting damaged is storage at an incorrect temperature.  
 
The channel for distributing and preserving vaccines is called the cold chain that extends from 
the manufacturing facility to administration to people, passing through the transportation 
stages.  
 
If the cold chain gets broken anywhere, it will damage the vaccines. The best way to restrict any 
break in the cold chain is using temperature monitoring devices.  
 
Assess Temperatures 
It is best to record your freezer's temperature for several days before storing vaccines. In this 
way, you can ensure that the unit is working correctly. You should record the minimum and 
maximum temperatures for each day.  
 
After you record freezer temperatures for at least two days and if you find everything all right, 
you can use the unit for storing vaccines.  
 
For safe vaccine storage, refrigerator temperatures should be between 2 degrees C and 8 
degrees C, and lab freezer temperatures should be between -50 degrees C and -15 degrees C. 
 
Also, ensure that your staff regularly records the minimum and maximum temperatures of the 
unit.  
 
Moreover, the data log should also include the date, time, name of the person recording the 
temperature, and what action was taken in temperature fluctuations. Besides, it will help if 
your staff does not miss out on the temperature recordings for even a single day. 
 
Invest in a Digital Data Logger 
You should not fail to adhere to the CDC recommendation of using a remote temperature 
logger to monitor your freezer temperature. 
 
Data loggers monitor temperature continuously and alert you if the temperature goes out of 
the recommended range.  
 
You can download the information gathered by data loggers. It helps you analyze the 
temperature data and ensure that your vaccine stock is within the recommended temperature 
range.  
 
Data Logger Requirements for VFC Compliance 
According to CDC recommendations, using a data logger is one of the best practices to assess 
your freezer temperature. From January 2020 onwards, the VFC program has undergone an 
upgrade, requiring all providers to use data loggers in all refrigerators and freezers that store 
vaccines for administering to VFC-eligible children. Besides, the providers should have a back-
up device to use in case of any malfunction in the current device. 
 
You should ensure that your data logger meets the following requirements to conform to the 
VFC program requirements: 
 
Buffered Temperature Probe  
A buffered temperature probe simulates the vaccine temperature inside the cold storage unit 
instead of the refrigerator's air temperature. The typical buffer materials are glycol, glass beads, 
sand, or Teflon. 
 
Digital Display 
There has to be a digital display to indicate the data logger's temperature. It should display the 
current, minimum, and maximum temperatures, apart from the low battery state. 
 
Downloadable Data 
The data logger you use should bear the feature of downloading the monitored data. With the 
feature, it becomes helpful for your staff as it relieves them from manually recording 
temperatures. Ensure that you download the data regularly.  
 
Programmable Alarm 
There has to be an alarm that alerts, visually or audibly, about out-of-range temperatures when 
they occur.  
 
Accurate Readings at Scheduled Intervals 
Program your data logger to take readings accurately after every 30 minutes.  
 
A Certificate of Calibration 
You should calibrate your data logger to ensure that it takes readings according to the 
nationally accepted standards. Ensure that you get a report of calibration or certificate of 
calibration from the appropriate authority every one to two years or as recommended by the 
manufacturer. 
 
Conclusion 
If you run a lab, it is your responsibility to keep your vaccine stock at the appropriate 
temperature to prevent damage. So, you must invest in a data logger in addition to the right 
freezer.