Connecting fridges, protecting vaccines and saving lives in Nigeria

Best served chilled

Children born in developing countries are more at risk from disease. In 2016 Nigeria was one of only three countries in the world where the Poliovirus still existed. Polio is a potentially deadly disease where the sufferer can experience muscle weakness and the inability to move, sometimes for days. Polio is preventable, however and vaccines are shipped to Nigeria from other parts of the world. The vaccine must be kept cold otherwise it loses its strength and will no longer work. Often, however, the vaccines are exposed to high heat while being transported and are useless when they arrive or arrive in good condition but then can’t be stored safely at the local medical facility. This puts many lives at risk.

Travelling vaccines

B-Medical systems is a Luxembourg based company who supply and transport vaccines around the world. Using mobile operator KPN’s Internet of Things technology, they developed a smart logger system to monitor their vaccine refrigerators in transit at every step of the journey.

Clever fridges

The GPS logger works in several ways; constantly ensuring the refrigerator temperature is correct, measuring the ambient temperature and controlling the refrigerator’s door opening. If a problem arises the logger sends a text message to a technician who can fix the problem immediately. The system was designed with developing countries in mind; the logger is easy to use for those with little technical experience and the fridges themselves do not need electricity to work, but can rely on solar power, liquefied gas and kerosene so they can continue to be used for vaccine storage in the future.

Clean bill of health

In 2017 there were 22 diagnosed cases of Polio worldwide and none of them were from Nigeria, compared to 4 cases from the country the previous year. B-Medical and KPN are taking their smart vaccine refrigerators to tackle diseases in the Congo with plans to expand to more countries in the future.

“I’m so happy now we have this equipment. Now because I can track in real time what I’m delivering I can rest assured that the vaccines I’m giving to the community is going to ensure that they are protected.”

Dr. Archibong, Kuchigoro Health Clinic, Abuja, Nigeria