WHO and USAID for a strong cold chain capacity in Albania

Delivering vaccines to all corners of Albania is a complex task. It takes a chain of precisely coordinated events in temperature-controlled environments to store, manage and transport these life-saving products. This is called a cold chain.

Vaccines must be continuously stored in a specific temperature range – from the time they are manufactured until the moment of vaccination. This is because temperatures that are too high or too low can cause the vaccine to lose its power. Once a vaccine loses its power, it cannot be regained or restored.

With funding from USAID, WHO is currently installing three new cold rooms to strengthen the cold chain capacity in Albania. During summer one of these, cold rooms was installed in Rrëshen, Mirdite, Albania.

Dr. Aleksander Dodaj, Director of the Local Public Health Unit in Mirditë, expressed his gratitude saying: "The new cold room will not only benefit people living in Mirditë but from the whole north-east region, including Puka, Tropoja, and Kukës. This cold room will come to good use both for COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines"

In total, six cold rooms, and 103 refrigerators for vaccines have been installed and distributed to health facilities across Albania.