Vaccine handling practices and conformity to cold chain temperature requirements in selected regions of Tanzania: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Poor handling practices and infrastructures for vaccine management, especially in remote rural areas, pose a challenge to the accessibility of safe and efficacious vaccines. This study assessed vaccine handling practices and conformity to cold chain systems in Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2022 to October 2022 using temperature loggers, checklists and questionnaires adopted from the WHO Vaccine Management Assessment Tool. The study sites were 35 facilities in Dar es salaam, Kigoma and Mtwara regions in Tanzania. Data was analysed by R statistical software. Results: A total of 89 vaccine handling personnel with 22 personnel of less than 30 years old were included in this study. Seventy vaccine-handling personnel out of a total of 89 had adequate knowledge and 63 participants had good vaccine-handling practices. Fifty-three participants had no prior training in vaccine handling. Most (80%) of the facilities visited complied with the WHO cold chain storage standard of 2°C to 8°C in one month of observation; however, 29 facilities did not have temperature alarms to alert in cases of temperature changes and 24 facilities had no voltage regulators. Conclusion: In this study, most of the facilities studied were compliant with WHO vaccine storage temperature requirements over a 30-day period. However, significant gaps were identified, including inadequate infrastructure for emergency situations and a lack of prior training on vaccine handling among the majority of personnel.