The end of painful vaccination¹ jabs is on the horizon after scientists proved that a skin patch is just as effective at inoculating² patients and can be applied³ at home in just a few minutes.

 

打疫苗的疼痛很快就要终结了，科学家证实，贴在皮肤上的疫苗贴就和注射疫苗一样有效，而且在家就可以用，几分钟就能搞定。
 

 

The painless plaster, which contains tiny microscopic⁴ needles, could significantly improve the annual take-up for annual vaccinations⁵, such as the flu jab, researchers believe.

 

In Britain the NHS recommends that vulnerable adults and children, the elderly, and pregnant women are vaccinated⁷ each year, but fewer than 50 percent of pregnant women and only 70 percent of older people received the jab last winter. Many people are scared of needles or do not have the time to visit a doctor or nurse.

 

In the first human trial of the patch, involving 100 people, the patch was found to be just as effective as generating immunity⁸ for 12 months, and was preferred by the vast majority of those taking part.

 

Researchers say the patch is cheaper and could be mailed out so that people could vaccinate⁶ themselves in the comfort of their own homes. They are also developing patches for the measles⁹, rubella and polio vaccine¹⁰.

 

"Traditionally, if you get an influenza¹¹ vaccine you need to visit a health care professional who will administer the vaccine using a hypodermic needle," said Dr Mark Prausnitz, Georgia Tech Regents professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

 

"The vaccine is stored in the refrigerator, and the used needle must be disposed of in a safe manner. With the microneedle patch, you could pick it up at the store and take it home, put it on your skin for a few minutes, peel it off and dispose of it safely, because the microneedles have dissolved away.

 

"The patches can also be stored outside the refrigerator, so you could even mail them to people."

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