6.1  Components of the cold chain

The cold chain has three main components, each of which must combine to ensure safe vaccine transport and storage:

• transport and storage equipment
• trained personnel
• efficient management procedures.

This study session is about the first of these components. You can see the cold chain equipment in Figure 6.1, together with the storage temperatures required at each storage place, from arrival in the country to the storage in your Health Post. Next we will describe the common cold chain equipment you will use when you collect vaccines from the health centre and in your practice at the Health Post and in the community.

Figure 6.1  The cold chain. (Adapted from: WHO, 2004, Immunization in Practice, Module 3, The Cold Chain, Figure 3A, p.2)