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Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

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  • Title: Cold chain: solar refrigerator field tested.
    Journal: EPI Newsl; 1983 Apr; 5(2):2-4. PubMed ID: 12314506.
    Abstract:
    The Health Ministries of Colombia and Peru, in collaboration with the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), have begun field testing a solar-powered vaccine refrigerator. The aim of the fields trials is to determine whether solar refrigerators can maintain the temperatures required for vaccine storage (+4-8 degrees Celsius) and produce ice at a rate of 2 kg/24 hours under different environmental conditions. these refrigerators would be particularly useful in areas that lack a consistent supply of good quality fuel or where the electrical supply is intermittent or nonexistent. Full appraisal of this technology will require 2 years of field testing; Colombia and Peru expect to complete testing in 1985. To date, 5 models have passed CDC-developed specifications, all of which are manufactured in the US. PAHO/WHO recommends that health ministries should consider the following guidelines in considering the purchase of a particular system: the initial purchase should be for a limited quantity (about 5) of refrigerators to permit field testing; solar panels should meet specific criteria; consideration should be given only to those models that have passed qualification tests; each unit should be fully equipped with monitoring devices and spare parts; and a trained refrigerator technician should be available to repair the equipment.
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