Left out in the cold - inequity in infectious disease control due to cold chain disparity

Abstract

Vaccines and diagnostic tools stand out as among the most influential advancements in public health, credited with averting an estimated 6 million deaths annually and substantially alleviating the burden of infectious disease. Despite this progress, the global imperative to prevent, detect, and combat infectious disease persists. Regrettably, hundreds of thousands of lives are still lost due to inadequate access to vaccines and diagnostics. A critical obstacle in accessibility lies in the requirement of reliable cold chain for their transportation and storage, a resource that remains inadequate in many regions, particularly in the developing world. Various factors, including socio-economic disparities, biological complexities, and manufacturing processes, exert significant influence on the availability and integrity of vaccines and diagnostic materials. This review aims to explore the multifaceted issue of inequality in access to disease control tools, examining the vulnerabilities of vaccines and diagnostics while also investigating recent advancements that offer promising solutions to improve thermal stability.