Vaccine wastage

Vaccine waste occurs when a vaccine dose is discarded without complete utilization. It occurs when doses cross the expiry date, if it has been exposed to heat, is frozen, broken, gets stolen, submerged in water, contaminated or discarded with leftovers. It is an expected component of any immunization drive. However, if it increases substantially, it would inflate demand and lead to unnecessary procurement. The national average for vaccine wastage is 6.5% and Telangana has the highest vaccine wastage at 17.6%.