Here’s some good news for those who have needle phobia — scientists claim to have developed a skin patch to administer vaccines without the need for a jab. A team from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology has come out with the patch which it says would soon pave the way for “mail-order” inoculations — instead of one large needle, hundreds of microscopic needles set into the patch dissolve into the skin painlessly. And, what’s more is that the new system could even allow non-medically trained people or even patients themselves to administer vaccines, particularly in the Third World, the Daily Telegraph reported. Studies on mice have shown that the micro needles can deliver vaccine that it as effective as conventional methods.
Lead scientist Prof Mark Prausnitz of Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering said: “In this study, we have shown that a dissolving micro needle patch can vaccinate against influenza at least as well, and probably better than, a traditional hypodermic needle.
“The dissolving micro needle patch could open up many new doors for immunisation programmes by eliminating the need for trained personnel to carry out the vaccination. This approach could make a significant impact as it could enable self-administration as well as simplify vaccination programs in schools and assisted living facilities.”
In fact, the scientists used mice to test the micro needle patch, giving one group a flu vaccine with the new patch and another group the same vaccine using a traditional needle injected into muscle.
Three months later both groups were exposed to the flu virus and the mice which had been vaccinated using the patch appeared to have better protection.