Vaccines have now been around for quite some time. As a matter of fact, large scale vaccine production has actually been around since the 1940s, back when the vaccines recommended for children only extended over smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus, and whopping cough (also known as as pertussis). For many people, these vaccines saved lived and in the years that have followed us since, vaccines have proven to be a hugely important force in the lives of so many people on a global scale. There is no doubting the power of vaccines, as it is estimated that they save as many as two and a half million lives around the world for each passing year.
After all, vaccines are easier to keep and store for longer periods of time than ever before. As a matter of fact, the laboratory refrigerator has grown common, and this laboratory refrigerator has a number of important purposes. One such critical use of the typical laboratory refrigerator is that of vaccine storage. Vaccine storage in something like a laboratory refrigerator or even a specialized vaccine refrigerator is something that must be monitored closely, however, as the laboratory refrigerator or pharmaceutical refrigerator in question will need to be kept at around 40 degrees Fahrenheit (which translates to around 5 degrees Celsius, if you were wondering).
In addition to the typical laboratory refrigerator, a vaccine freezer can also be used. As you might have already guessed, a vaccine freezer or other such lab freezer will have different temperature specifications than the laboratory refrigerator. Ideally, this pharmaceutical freezer will drop no lower than -58 degrees Fahrenheit but will also climb no higher than 5 degrees Fahrenheit at the very most. Anything in between is typically considered to be a safe range for the safe storage of vaccines of all kinds.
And no matter how vaccines are stored, be it in a laboratory refrigerator or some type of laboratory freezer, we must note the incredible importance of actually getting these vaccines. After all, consider diseases that have been all but eradicated in the United States – or completely eradicated, for that matter. Polio is one great example, as now nearly 94% of all toddlers have been vaccinated against the disease, effectively eradicating it from this country if not from elsewhere throughout the world (as this is still a work in progress in many of the less developed countries). Polio was once a disease that made parents fear for the lives of their children – and it was a disease that left a great many children disabled in a way that would impact the rest of their life. Thanks to vaccinations, this fear and this risk is no more.
The same can be said for measles, though a recent trend in not vaccinating has led to an uptick in measles cases in some parts of this country. This, however, does not need to be the case, as the MMR vaccine is one that is really quite effective indeed. After all, all you have to do is look at the data to see this quite clearly, as this data found that the years between 2000 and 2014 saw the number of measles cases in this country drop by as much as a full 79%. Thanks to this, so many people have been spared the pain and suffering that comes alongside it – as many as 400,000 or so fewer people, for that matter.
Even recurring vaccines such as the flu vaccine can play a hugely important role in staying safe in the face of illness. After all, the flu is a common illness, one that can impact up to a full one fifth of the American population over the course of a single year, though this will most certainly depend on the severity of the flu season in question. Most people think of the flu as a relatively minor illness, akin to the common cold, but this is not the case. In the near decade since 2010, after all, more than 700,000 have been hospitalized for the flu, and more than 56,000 have actually, tragically, ended up losing their lives. Getting the flu shot can prevent this in a significant way.