The coordinator, Dr. F. X. Meslin, based in Geneva, has said such a program is needed to stop the world's 60,000 annual rabies deaths. Too often, immunization programs, though worthwhile, cause negative results when needles are reused. They spread AIDS, hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases,'' he said.
Vaccines require careful storage and transport to the point of use to avoid harmful heat exposure.
In the past there was no way to detect cumulative heat exposure of individual vials, so national immunization programs adopted conservative guidelines for vaccine handling and disposal of vaccines when heat exposure was suspected. This has markedly reduced vaccine wastage, thus saving millions of dollars worldwide that can be used for more vaccines. Technology HEATmarkers are small, circular indicators that are printed directly on vaccine vial labels or affixed to any site on vaccine vials or tubes. The inner square changes color irreversibly from light to dark with exposure to heat over time. By comparing the color of the square to the surrounding reference color, a health worker can determine the extent to which the vaccine has been exposed to heat.