World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

ABSTRACT

Background: poor storage of vaccines can lead to a deterioration in their biological activity, and consequently lower immunization rates in populations vaccinated against a specific disease. As a result, the cold chain essential to vaccine storage must function optimally to guarantee vaccine quality at the time of injection. The aim of this study was to determine the causes of vaccine wastage in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation in the Centre, Littoral and South regions of Cameroon. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in these three regions from January to June 2024. The causes of vaccine wastage were investigated in terms of suitability, cold chain reliability and the policy of using opened vials as recommended by the World Health Organization. The data were analysed using R software. Fisher's exact test and Pearson's Chi-square test of independence were used for comparisons (95%CI; P < 0.05). Results: Regarding the adequacy of the cold chain, 14% of hospitals did not have an alternative cold chain, 46% of cold chain managers did not know how to estimate the volume of vaccine storage required, 34% of health institutions did not have a contingency plan, and 44% of vaccinators did not master vaccine transport procedures. in terms of the reliability of the cold chain, the temperature was not regularly monitored in 22% of hospitals, 79% of health facilities did not have an alternative energy source, and 37% did not have an emergency plan in place. 38% of health establishments did not have a regular maintenance plan for cold chain equipment. For these three parameters, no difference was found between the three regions (p<0.9). The policy of using opened blanks was respected in all three regions. Conclusion: the adequacy and reliability of the cold chain are significantly implicated in vaccine wastage in our three study regions.