How to keep Ebola vaccines at -70°C?

As a Gavi-funded emergency stockpile of Ebola vaccines becomes accessible, we look at the ultra-cold chain equipment used to keep these vaccines at the right temperature.

13 January 2021
1 min read
by Gavi Staff
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<article> <h1> <span>How to keep Ebola vaccines at -70°C?</span> </h1> <div><p>As a Gavi-funded emergency stockpile of Ebola vaccines becomes accessible, we look at the ultra-cold chain equipment used to keep these vaccines at the right temperature.</p> </div> <ul> <li> <b>13 January 2021</b> </li> <li> <b class="me-2">by</b> <span> <a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/authors/gavi-staff" hreflang="en">Gavi Staff</a> </span> </li> </ul> <div> <div> <span data-type="column" data-id="95951"></span> <div> <div> <div> <div> <p>The stockpile at Thermo Fischer Scientific will ensure that for the first time <a href="https://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/500000-doses-ebola-vaccine-be-made-available-countries-outbreak-response" title="500,000 doses of Ebola vaccine to be made available to countries for outbreak response">Ebola vaccines will be available</a> for rapid global deployment. While being accessible to all countries around the world, low- and middle-income countries can access the stockpile free of charge.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <span data-type="column" data-id="95961"></span> </div> <div> <div> <h2>Photo story</h2> <div> <ul><li> <img src="/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2021/Thumb/1.Thermo-Fisher-Basel-20201126-EOSR1059-Edit_h2.jpg" width="1440" height="960" alt="“Vaccines are a miracle of science and the stockpile of Ebola vaccines, which we keep here at Thermo Fisher, can be rapidly deployed when there’s an outbreak happening somewhere in the world. It’s really exciting to be part of this mission.”" loading="lazy"> </li><li> <img src="/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2021/Thumb/2.Thermo-Fisher-Basel-20201126-EOSR0951-Edit_h2.jpg" width="1440" height="960" alt="Virginie Lamy is working for Thermo Fisher Scientific in Basel, Switzerland, where she oversees the operation of the ultra-low temperature freezers storing ERVEBO – the world’s first Ebola vaccine." loading="lazy"> </li><li> <img src="/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2021/Thumb/3.Thermo-Fisher-Basel-20201126-EOSR0881-Edit_h2.jpg" width="1080" height="1620" alt="The Ebola vaccine must be kept at between -60 and -80°C, well below what normal vaccine freezers are capable of. Virginie explains how dry ice, or frozen carbon dioxide, is used as a cooling agent to keep the vaccines at the right temperature during storage and transport. She is wearing protective gloves to prevent burns and injury caused by freezing." loading="lazy"> </li><li> <img src="/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2021/Thumb/4.Thermo-Fisher-Basel-20201126-EOSR0991-Edit_h2.jpg" width="1440" height="960" alt="Each of the freezers is equipped with a display, showing the current temperature. Virginie carefully monitors any changes in temperature and keeps track of when the freezers are opened and closed." loading="lazy"> </li><li> <img src="/sites/default/files/vaccineswork/2021/Thumb/5.Thermo-Fisher-Basel-20201126-EOSR1035-Edit_h2.jpg" width="1440" height="960" alt="Data points from all the freezers are recorded digitally, which is easily accessible on a display, helping Virginie to spot and address any potential issues." loading="lazy"> </li></ul> </div> <div> <span class="btn js-btn -white">Load more</span> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/how-keep-ebola-vaccines-70degc">Original article</a> </p><p>This article was originally published on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork">VaccinesWork</a> </p><script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-M7H54VD');</script><noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-M7H54VD" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript></article>

The stockpile at Thermo Fischer Scientific will ensure that for the first time Ebola vaccines will be available for rapid global deployment. While being accessible to all countries around the world, low- and middle-income countries can access the stockpile free of charge.