Dulas, a leading British manufacturer of solar-powered vaccine refrigerators, has shipped 113 of its VC50SDD units to Togo, to support the work of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which is delivering immunisation initiatives together with Togo's Ministry of Health. Working with their local service partners BEMISS, a solar installation company based in Lomé, Dulas will deliver, install and maintain the vaccine refrigerators across the whole of Togo in the coming months.

Togo is one of the world's poorest countries, with just over 81% of its rural population below the poverty line.[1] The country's health sector often struggles to provide suitable care, particularly in remote areas, and combating malaria and tuberculosis remains one of its key challenges.

In order to ensure effective vaccination programmes, vaccines themselves must be stored and transported at the correct temperature. With a +5 °C to +43 °C extended ambient operating temperature range, the VC50SDD units will provide a standalone vaccine cold chain, and their small size relative to other refrigerators will ensure they can be deployed in a wide variety of locations.

As part of the initiative, Dulas will also be providing both BEMISS and the Ministry of Health with training in the refrigerators' deployment and use to ensure the refrigerators will be properly maintained well into the future.

"At Dulas, we're committed not only to supplying vital cold chain equipment but also ensuring the Ministry of Health and our local partners in Togo receive the necessary support to deploy the refrigerators effectively and achieve their immunisation targets," said Catherine McLennan, Account Manager, Dulas.

"In this instance the VC50SDD was the ideal unit to meet the urgent need for a reliable and versatile vaccine storage solution in Togo - particularly in the country's more remote areas."

The units have already been shipped to Lomé, Togo's capital, for distribution throughout the country, with training to be provided by Dulas' team of technical experts in mid-October.

Dulas | www.dulassolar.org