Impact of Changing Measles Vaccine Vial Size on Niger's Vaccine Supply Chain
Author Information
Author(s): Assi Tina-Marie, Brown Shawn T, Djibo Ali, Norman Bryan A, Rajgopal Jayant, Welling Joel S, Chen Sheng-I, Bailey Rachel R, Kone Souleymane, Kenea Hailu, Connor Diana L, Wateska Angela R, Jana Anirban, Wisniewski Stephen R, Van Panhuis Willem G, Burke Donald S, Lee Bruce Y
Primary Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Hypothesis
What is the impact of changing the measles vaccine vial size on the vaccine supply chain in Niger?
Conclusion
Switching from the 10-dose measles vaccines to smaller vial sizes could overwhelm the capacities of many storage facilities and transport vehicles as well as increase the cost per vaccinated child.
Supporting Evidence
- Switching to smaller vial sizes decreased vaccine availability at health centers.
- Smaller vials increased costs per vaccinated child due to higher waste disposal costs.
- Transport and storage bottlenecks were exacerbated by smaller vial sizes.
Takeaway
If we change the size of the measles vaccine vials to smaller ones, it might make it harder to get enough vaccines to kids and cost more money.
Methodology
A discrete event simulation model was developed to represent the vaccine supply chain in Niger, simulating the impact of replacing the 10-dose measles vial size with smaller sizes.
Potential Biases
Data collection involved various sources, which may affect the accuracy and reliability of parameter values.
Limitations
The model may not capture every potential factor, and the data parameters are based on information collected up to 2010.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on the population demand for vaccines in Niger, estimated using district-level birth registry data.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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