Management of vaccine inventories as a critical health resource

This article presents the results of the Louisiana 2007 statewide influenza mass-vaccination event drill for emergency preparedness. This drill simulated a mass-immunization event to determine the value of using the state's immunization registry to provide real-time information to decision makers in emergency command centers to support vaccine utilization and regional needs. The goal was to determine the value of real-time data and, in particular, to determine how the statewide registry could support these efforts. In this context, a project was designed for health providers at specific state-designated vaccine points of distribution to capture vaccine utilization data with real-time reporting to command centers to determine demand and availability of vaccine supplies.