REAL LIFE NEWS: PATCH PROVIDES PAINLESS FLU VACCINE
by Hazed
Every year I get the flu jab to protect me against catching the disease. I’ve got to the age where a dose of the flu is a serious matter. About six years ago I missed getting inoculated one year and caught the flu, and I was ill for about six weeks – it was horrible!
Now, I have no fear of needles, but many people do, so the invention of a way to get the flu vaccine without having to be injected is a really exciting development.
A new patch that delivers the flu vaccine into the skin has just passed important safety tests in its first trial on people.
The sticky patch has a hundred tiny hair-like microneedles on it. When you stick it on your wrist, they penetrate the skin’s surface without pain.
This has huge advantages, not just for needle-phobes, For a start, it’s simple enough that people can apply it themselves rather than having to get a nurse to do it.
Unlike the standard flu jab, it doesn’t have to be refrigerated, so it can be easily stocked on the shelf in pharmacies, and will be extremely useful in developing countries.
More clinical trials will have to be run over the next few years before the patch can be approved for widespread use, but assuming there are no hitches, this could revolutionise the way vaccines are given.
