In the last few centuries, a variety of inventions and discoveries have advanced the field of medicine to new heights. These include germ theory, microscopes, the sterilization of surgical equipment, and of course, vaccinations. Vaccines have saved many lives since their first use in the 1790s, and today, millions of people are protected each year from a variety of illnesses that once claimed many victims routinely. In fact, a few diseases have been rendered extinct due to proper vaccinations and shots. But these vaccines are also rather fragile and sensitive to temperature, so they need to be stored in proper medical freezers and vaccine refrigerators. Medical grade freezers and fridges like these come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they can all keep vaccines safe until used. What is there to know about the history of vaccines, and finding benchtop freezers or other medical freezers for sale?
All About Vaccines
Vaccines as we know them got their start in the year 1796 in England. In that year, the British scientist Edward Jenner developed what he called the “arm to arm” inoculation method to protect patients from smallpox. To do this, he would extract a tissue sample from a cowpox patient’s skin blister, and inject it into the arm of a second patient. Through this controlled exposure, the second patient’s immune system is trained to recognize and fight off diseases like cowpox and smallpox, and this strategy proved a success. Ever since then, vaccines have been developed and used, and by the 1940s, vaccines entered mass production for the first time. In that decade, many mass produced vaccines were geared to fight off common diseases of the time such as smallpox, diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus. Now, in the 21st century, vaccines can protect patients from even more viruses, such as Polio and measles.
Who needs vaccinations? Babies and children in particular need routine shots and vaccinations, since their immune systems are young and still growing. In centuries past, diseases claimed many young lives, but modern vaccinations have put a stop to that. A baby will be brought to the doctor’s office for routine and safe shots to protect that young patient from common illnesses, and that will be logged in the child’s medical records. This keeps a child, and their community, quite safe. Meanwhile, adults need some shots too, such as getting flu shots at a flu drive during influenza season. The elderly also have need for vaccinations, since a senior citizen’s immune system is age-worn and may be vulnerable to illness otherwise. Getting these shots done can help prevent the spread of disease in crowded retirement homes, for example.
Studies have demonstrated that many vaccines are saving many lives in the United States, and around the globe, each year. Overall, vaccines prevent around 2.5 million deaths around the globe each year, and the measles vaccine alone has saved some 17.1 million lives ever since the year 2000. Also, the yearly death count from measles has dropped quite a bit, down from 546,800 in 2000 all the way to 114,900 in the year 2014. It is thanks to vaccines that so many lives are protected from the likes of the measles virus. Still, those vaccines need proper storage to do their work, and this is where medical freezer come in.
Storage Solutions for Vaccines
Commercial fridges and freezers will not do the job for vaccine storage, since these cooling units are meant for ordinary food and drink. Their internal temperature is heavily disrupted whenever their doors are opened, and that could compromise any vaccines inside. Instead, only medical grade scientific freezers and lab refrigerators are used for this purpose, which are designed to mare carefully generate and maintain their internal temperature. A medical freezer can be found through online catalogs, and buyers can find new ones or gently used models on the secondary market. Large wholesale medical freezers are best for busy hospitals, which may need hundreds of vaccines stored at once. A small research lab’s staff, meanwhile, might look for petite benchtop freezers that don’t take up much room, or find under-the-counter fridges that won’t take up any floor space at all.
