Cold chain failure — DTM&H MCQ

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ModerateEpidemiology and public healthCold chain failureDTM&H

A remote clinic stores measles vaccine in a refrigerator that has repeatedly exceeded recommended temperatures during power cuts. What is the most appropriate investigation?

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Correct answer: A — Assess temperature logs and quarantine affected vaccines

Assess temperature logs and quarantine affected vaccines is the single best answer because cold chain breaches can reduce vaccine potency and require quarantine, assessment and replacement decisions. Use vaccines until stock ends is plausible in a related presentation, but it is less appropriate because it does not fit the key discriminator in this vignette. The teaching point is that visual appearance does not reliably indicate preserved vaccine potency.

Reference: WHO outbreak investigation guidance; Sphere Handbook; Manson's Tropical Diseases