Inadvertent Administration of Exposed and/or Expired Vaccine

Overview Light damage Maintaining Vaccine Potency Expiration Dates Inadvertently administering expired/exposed vaccine

Reasons for the Cold Chain Vaccines can lose their potency and effectiveness if they are exposed to temperatures outside 2-8˚C Excessive heat or cold exposure can damage vaccines The “cold chain” is required to prevent this from happening

Protect from Light Protection from light is a necessary condition for some vaccines Both ultraviolet (UV) light and fluorescent light cause damage to certain vaccines

Protect from Light The damaging effects of light exposure are cumulative Remember to limit exposure to light when preparing the vaccines Refer to product monograph of each vaccine for light exposure restrictions

Maintaining Potency of Vaccine Importance of maintaining vaccine potency: Administrating a compromised vaccine may result in the occurrence and the possible transmission of a vaccine preventable disease Vaccine wastage is expensive and may worsen existing supply problems

Maintaining Potency of Vaccine The recommendation for revaccination of people who have received a potentially ineffective vaccine may cause a loss of public confidence or mistrust Inconvenient for the vaccine recipient and the provider

Potency of Vaccine It can be difficult to assess the potency of a mishandled vaccine Data is available to indicate that some products remain stable at temps outside of the recommended range for specific periods of time – but it can be difficult to monitor cumulative effects

Expiration Dates All vaccines & diluents have expiry dates Dates are labelled on both the box/container and the product itself Month/year only – the vaccine or diluent may be used up to and including the last day of that month

Expiration Dates If the day of the month is included (e.g. Sept. 1, 2018) – it can be used up to and including that date (expires at midnight) Reconstituted vaccines expire within a specific number of hours – labelling the vial is of utmost importance Multi-dose vials have a specific shelf-life once opened (must be labelled on bottle)

If an expired vaccine has been inadvertently administered: It should NOT be counted as a valid dose Should be repeated (same day or as soon as it is noticed) If LIVE vaccine – must wait at least 28 days

If an exposed vaccine has been inadvertently administered When a cold-chain break is identified AFTER an affected vaccine has been given: Contact the Vaccine Depot and/or the vaccine supplier for further direction

If an exposed vaccine has been inadvertently administered The following will be considered: type of vaccine duration and temperature that it was exposed Serological testing or revaccination may be suggested

Did you know? Inadvertent administration of exposed and/or expired vaccines is one of the top 3 vaccine reported errors

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