Make sure that you store and handle influenza vaccine properly by following these guidelines from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
- Immediately inventory and refrigerate inactivated or live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) in a refrigerator that does not share a door with a freezer.
- Store in the center of the refrigerator, away from the door and walls.
- Store in original packaging with tops on to protect from light.
- Make sure the refrigerator temperature stays between 35 and 46 degrees (40 degrees is optimal).
- Write on multidose vials (MDVs) when they were first punctured so that you can make sure to use these vials first.
- MDVs can be used until the last day of the month indicated on the expiration date as long as they have been handled and stored properly and the vaccine looks normal.
- Opened or expired vials should be discarded per the manufacturer’s instructions and do not need to be returned to the manufacturer or the CDC’s centralized vaccine distributor.
- If you have leftover, unopened doses of the vaccine, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health at (717) 787-5681 or your local health department.
- If a vial has not been handled or stored correctly, set it aside and contact the vaccine manufacturer or your state or local health department. Don’t assume that it can’t be salvaged.
Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information.