Guidelines on stock records for immunization programme - Path

Step 1
When vaccine consignments arrive at a storage point their details are checked
and recorded.
All details of each consignment must be checked and recorded in the stock register.
(In the case of international shipments, see also Annex 1 on checking vaccine
shipments on arrival.)
The details to be recorded include:
• type of vaccine
• presentation (vial size)
• quantity received (doses)
• vaccine manufacturer
• manufacturing batch or lot number or numbers (there may be more than one
batch or lot in a consignment)
• expiry date for each batch
• status of temperature monitoring indicators - VVM, cold chain monitor (CCM),
freeze indicators and electronic data loggers on arrival of the consignment.
In consignments of freeze-dried vaccine, each shipment should always arrive with
the correct quantity of diluent for reconstituting the vaccine when it reaches the
user. For such shipments, the following details must also be checked and recorded
for the accompanying diluent:
• type of diluent (i.e. type of vaccine with which it is to be used)
• quantity received (doses)
• diluent manufacturer
• manufacturing batch or lot number or numbers (there may be more than one
batch or lot in a consignment)
• expiry date for each batch
Step 2
During the time that vaccine stocks are in storage their details and conditions
are checked.
All vaccines and diluents have an expiry date, after which they must not be used.
All stocks must be distributed well before their expiry date in order to allow sufficient
time for them to pass through the distribution system and reach the user.
EEFO handling is safer than first-in-first-out (FIFO) handling. In general,
when two batches of vaccine are delivered at different times, the second to arrive
has a later expiry date than the other. However, this is not always the case, particularly
when vaccines are obtained from different sources. The expiry date should always
be checked and the vaccine with the shortest shelf-life should be distributed first,
even if it arrived last.
WHO/IVB/06.12
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