Official News page 6

REAL LIFE NEWS: TATTOO YOU

by Hazed

Tattoos used to be only for low-lives and rebels, criminals and lorry drivers. Then they got trendy, and bright young things started adorning themselves with strange designs of dragons and celtic knots, until tattoos became totally mainstream (although we still laugh at some of the more extreme examples, such as the idiot who tattooed a picture of Dumbledore on his back, then had to put up with his friends' jokes after it was revealed that the Hogwarts wizard was gay.

But now, tattoos could potentially become useful, as scientists in Germany think they could be an ideal way of delivering vaccines into the body.

In tests undertaken with mice, researchers found that tattoos were much more effective in provoking a response from the immune system than the traditional way of administering a vaccine by injection. The rapidly vibrating tattoo needle, which causes a lot more damage to the body than just jabbing in a single needle, produced 16 times more antibodies than the simple injection. This indicates the level of the immune system's response.

Scientists say that the tattoo needles would never be suitable for preventative vaccines such as measles, because children would find the pain too great. But it might be useful for adults, particularly in the search for therapeutic vaccines for such diseases as cancer. It could also be used in the routine vaccination of animals.

Combine it with a lovely design of your loved one's name and you get double the use out of the tattoo!

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