Guide to Vaccine Management Standards and Practices

4.1. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS 

• Equip all refrigerators with a monitoring device that provides continuous recording of current, minimum and maximum temperatures to ensure appropriate vaccine monitoring. If the device built into the refrigerator offers a digital display of the current temperature only, another monitoring device allowing monitoring of the minimum and maximum temperature must be installed. 

• Ensure that all devices used have a certificate of traceability indicating that they have been calibrated and have a calibration accuracy of no more than 1°C. 

• Have monitoring devices  calibrated or replaced annually .

• Regardless of the monitoring device used, record the current, minimum and maximum temperatures twice a day, at the beginning and end of the day, even if the refrigerator is connected to a telephone exchange or an online monitoring system or is equipped with an alarm. Write these temperatures on the record as well as the date, time of reading and initials. 

• Keep temperature records for 4 years.

• Ensure that all people who are called upon to handle vaccines know how the temperature monitoring devices work in their establishment, recognize a break in the cold chain and follow the established procedure.