Jahongir Mirzakarimov, vaccine warehouse manager, Uzbekistan

30 April 2019
Jahongir Mirzakarimov joined the Sanitary-Epidemiological Centre in the Fergana Region, one of Uzbekistan’s most remote areas, in 1980. “Time flies,” he says. “I have worked as a vaccine warehouse manager for almost 40 years and it has never occurred to me to do any other work.”

For vaccines to work effectively, it is crucial that they are kept at a certain temperature at all times prior to administration. Depending on the type of vaccine, some are sensitive to freezing, some to heat and others to light. The process of maintaining quality and potency of vaccines by protecting them from temperature extremes is referred to as cold chain management.

As a cold chain specialist, Mr Mirzakarimov explains: “I think of vaccine safety 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Every morning, I start my day by checking the refrigerators. When I wake up and go to sleep, I always ask myself the same questions: whether the refrigerators are working, whether the electricity is on or if it has been cut off”.

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Jahongir Mirzakarimov joined the Sanitary-Epidemiological Centre in the Fergana Region, one of Uzbekistan’s most remote areas, in 1980. “Time flies,” he says. “I have worked as a vaccine warehouse manager for almost 40 years and it has never occurred to me to do any other work.”

 

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As the Fergana Region is characterized by extreme differences between winter and summer temperatures, it is important to keep vaccines safe by maintaining an impeccable cold chain system. “If the cold chain is interrupted, we risk that the end-user, the patient, does not become adequately immunized against a certain disease,” says Mr Mirzakarimov. Credit: ©UNICEF Uzbekistan/2019/Atoev   

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On a regular basis, Mr Mirzakarimov meets with cold chain managers from all districts, including hard-to-reach areas, to provide them with the number of vaccines needed to ensure that no one is left behind. Due to his experience and knowledge of the region, he knows by heart the number of vaccines that are needed per primary health care facility. To ensure that vaccines do not lose their potency, there have been days when Mr Mirzakarimov decided to stay at the airport for as long as needed to monitor that vaccines are transported according to WHO cold chain guidelines and on time. Credit: ©UNICEF Uzbekistan/2019/Atoev   

 

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In a central warehouse, where he spends most of his time when he is not out in the field delivering vaccines personally, Mr Mirzakarimov stores new loads of vaccines and prepares batches to be sent out to the districts. Credit: ©UNICEF Uzbekistan/2019/Atoev   

 

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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has almost completed the construction of a new warehouse to store vaccines to better serve the increasing population in this region. “I am looking forward to working there,” says Mr Mirzakarimov. “The new building is bigger than the old one and has more modern cold chain equipment, a backup power supply and ventilation system. Soon, I will join a training in Tashkent with other colleagues from across the country to learn how to maintain and use the new cold chain equipment.” Credit: ©UNICEF Uzbekistan/2019/Atoev   

 

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Mr Mirzakarimov underlines the importance of vaccination: “Vaccines work to prevent diseases and all parents need to understand this. I have 4 daughters and 9 grandchildren. My wife and I have always vaccinated our children on time. Now, I encourage my daughters to do the same. To me, happiness is being surrounded by healthy children and grandchildren, and I mean not only my own children”. Credit: ©UNICEF Uzbekistan/2019/Atoev   

 

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Just as his well-tended fruit trees have borne fruit, Mr Mirzakarimov is now seeing the results of his many years of work in the field of cold chain management – more than 1 million children in the Fergana Region now stand a good chance of being protected against life-threatening diseases thanks to vaccination, and grow up healthy. Credit: ©UNICEF Uzbekistan/2019/Atoev   

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