In the last few centuries, a number of innovations transformed and advanced the field of medicine. Germ theory and the discovery of cells are two major advances, and the French chemist Louis Pasteur developed the technique of sterilization to scour pathogens off the surface of items. Meanwhile, vaccines have saved many millions of lives ever since the concept was born at the end of the 1700s, and vaccines are more varied and effective today than ever before. Vaccines are major part of any nation’s medical industry, and the WHO and similar organizations carefully the track of human health around the globe. It has been found that ever since the year 2000, for example, an estimated 17 million lives have been saved thanks to the measles vaccine, according to the WHO and the Measles and Rubella Initiative. From 2000 to 2014, there was a 79% drop in the yearly deaths from measles, from 546,800 or so down to 114,900.

It is boundlessly clear that vaccines are a vital aspect of public health, but these vaccines are also somewhat fragile. They are sensitive to temperature, so until they are used, vaccines are stored in scientific freezers and vaccine refrigerators. These scientific freezers and medical grade refrigerator units can safely store vaccines, or tissue samples and bacteria cultures as well. Such scientific freezers and benchtop freezer models can be found online from wholesale medical suppliers, and the staff of any hospital or research lab will want at least a few top-end medical fridge freezers or scientific freezer on hand.

All About Vaccines

The concept of vaccines is older than some people may realize. Back in 1796, a man named Mr. Edward Jenner pioneered what he called the “arm to arm” inoculation method, which involved extracting a tissue sample from a cowpox patient’s skin blister and transferring it to a second patient. In this way, the second patient’s immune system is trained to fight disease such as smallpox, having been exposed to a controlled virus sample already. Needless to say, this concept was a success and continued, and vaccines were developed and used for many decades to come. By the 1940s, vaccines were being mass produced for the first time, and in that decade, those vaccines typically fought smallpox, whooping cough, Diphtheria, and tetanus, common diseases of the day.

Now, in the 21st century, vaccines are more varied than ever, and they can protect Americans from measles and Polio, too, among other contagions. Children and adults alike are strongly urged to be properly inoculated, as children’s immune systems are still developing and are somewhat vulnerable without the assistance of vaccines. Many children today are now safe from viruses that claimed many young lives in times past. Adults, meanwhile, are urged to get newer and updated vaccines every few years to keep their immunization current, and the elderly often need them, too. Senior citizens have age-worn immune systems that may need help, and this can help prevent the spread of disease in a crowded nursing home.

Storage Solutions

Medicine is a business like any other, and that means having the right hardware on hand. The staff of research labs and hospitals will need to have medical grade fridge units and scientific freezers, since commercial cooler units are only designed for regular food and drinks. Those coolers have high temperature variances when their doors are opened, but scientific freezers and fridges have better temperature regulation inside to protect delicate items.

These scientific freezers and fridges can be found with online catalogs, available from medical suppliers. Buyers might also browse the secondary market and find gently used freezers in their area, but the buyers may want to look over those units before making a purchase. Either way, the buyer should make sure to buy the right freezer for the job, as they vary in size and storage capacity. A large and busy hospital may invest in a few large fridge units to store vaccines, while a small research lab may buy a small, benchtop unit or even buy an under-the-counter unit that saves space in a cramped lab. The buyers may also double check the total storage capacity that a given freezer or fridge can hold, and determine how much floor space it will take up on the premises.