1. African Vaccine Initiative
Christopher Colletti, Peter Iliya, Claire Stonner
Vaccinations in the Third World
• 70% of unvaccinated children live in ten countries,
including the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.1
• An estimated 1.5 million children around the globe
die from diseases that could have been prevented
by a vaccine approved by the World Health
Organization. 2
• The basic vaccine recommendation package from
the UN cost $39 in 2013.1
Cold Safe Design
References & Acknowledgements
1. Elder, Kate. 2013. "Vaccine prices: A painful shot for Africa." OECD
Observer no. 296: 29. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed
March 26, 2014).
2. Machingaidze, Shingai, Charles S. Wiysonge, and Gregory D. Hussey.
2013. "Strengthening the Expanded Programme on Immunization in
Africa: Looking beyond 2015." Plos Medicine 10, no. 3: 1-5. Academic
Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 26, 2014).
This project was funded through iScholars, which was made possible by a grant to Saint
Louis University from the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network.
Design Constraints and Requirements
for Vaccine Transportation
• Hospital - village distance = 6 mi
• 35 – 46 o C (2 – 8 o C) range for vaccines
• Vaccines cannot be warm for more than 2
hours
• Unreliable electricity at health posts
• Various vaccine dimensions
Thermal Analysis Comparison
• Worst
Case
Scenario
comparison
between
our
cooler
and
currently
used
Styrofoam
coolers.
• No
Thermal
Load
• 36
⁰F
IniAal
Internal
Temperature
• 90
⁰F
Ambient
Temperature
• Examine
Ame
the
cooler
can
maintain
35
–
46
o
C
(2
–
8
o
C)
• Benchmark
cooler
maintained
an
internal
temperature
within
the
range
for
10
min
• Our
Cooler
maintained
an
internal
temperature
within
the
range
for
124
min
• Our
Cooler
performed
around
13x
beSer
than
the
current
benchmark
Contact Information
coldsafe.slu@gmail.com
The Cold Box Concept
When considering design solutions beyond a thermo-
electric cooler, our group considered more effective
ways to keep the heat from the vaccine vials in an
effort to keep them cooler for a longer amount of
time. We came up with three components to our
design, which follow:
1. Individual vaccine dispenser to reduce heat
exposure to vaccines;
2. Mobile and light for bicycle transportation;
3. Utilize thermoelectric device and rechargeable
battery.
Bicycle System
Lid
• 2” insulation made from
closed cell expandable
foam
• Contoured to fit cooler
• Manual latches to secure
closed
Retrieval
• 2” insulation made
from closed cell
expandable foam
• Rotates within cooler
• Dispenses one vial at a
time
• Isolates other vials
during retrieval
• Magnetic lock ensures
closure
Cold Box
• 2” insulation made from
closed cell expandable
foam
• Space for 100+ vials
• Cavity for thermoelectric
cooling device
• Reflective outer surface
• Augments to other Cold
Safes
• Easily transported in a
backpack or on a bicycle
Dr. Srihdar Condoor
Elizabeth Schwaab
Dr. Douglas Schwaab
Nicole Germain
35
37
39
41
43
45
47
49
51
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Temperature
(⁰F)
Time
(min)
Comparison
of
Coolers
-­‐
Temperature
vs.
Time
Our
Cooler
Benchmark
Cooler
Cold Safe with
thermoelectric unit
battery and
encasing
generator