Vaccine wastage
Vaccine wastage is the number of vaccines that have not been administered during vaccine deployment in an immunization program. The wastage can occur at multiple stages of the deployment process, and can take place in both unopened and opened vials, or in oral admission. It is an expected part of vaccination deployment and is factored into the manufacturing process.
Prevalence
A 2018 study into Cambodia's national immunization program found wastage rates of 0% to 60% depending on location and vaccination type.A study from India which collected Universal Immunisation Programme data from two different locations between January 2016 to December 2017 found wastage rates that differed according to vaccine type, reuse type, vial size, transition from IPV dosage to fIPV and according to the geographical location. In both districts wastage increased as vial size increased from 5 to 10 dose vials. In Kangra, wastage observed in oral polio vaccine was 50.8% while in Pune it was 14.3%. Wastage for a number of other vaccinations in the program was higher than what had been factored into the initial programme forecasting.
Parts of the United States has vaccine wastage tracking factored into the deployment process. Reasons for vaccine wastage are categorised as— broken vial/syringe, lost or unaccounted for, open but not all doses administered, or drawn into a syringe but not administered. Other reasons for wastage include contamination, expiration and temperature issues. Vaccine wastage in the United States during its 2021 COVID-19 vaccination program is less than 1%, and reported as low as 0.1%. In India covid vaccine wastage was 6.5% while in Scotland and Wales it was 1.8%.