Painless Flu Shots Delivered At Your Doorstep

During flu season, clinics get congested with patients wanting to get a flu vaccine. However, thanks to the wonders of modern medical technology, people can hope to one day administer flu vaccines to themselves and their families, without ever leaving their homes. Researchers have announced development in vaccine delivery and administration through a patch of microneedles. These microneedles are attached to a Band-Aid-like patch, which when applied to the skin will barely cause any pain or sensation, since the needles dissolve and release the medication almost in seconds. Mark Prausnitz led a team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and announced their research in the Sunday edition of Nature Medicine.

According to Prausnitz, people who have tested the microneedle patch without vaccines reported very minimal discomfort (1/20th of the pain felt with a regular infection needle), and most of the testers reported painless administration. Patch technology isn’t something new. Hormone patches and nicotine patches have been around for years, delivering medication that is readily absorbed by the skin. But patches with flu vaccines have not been proven yet, and this is why the research is still ongoing. The microneedle patch that Georgia Tech is developing will not make use of patch technology, but will simply use the patch to hold tiny needles that don’t hurt on application.

This will solve two great issues, such as fear of needles and needle disposal, which has always been a crucial infection control concern. How does it work? The patch will be left on the skin for 5 to 15 minutes after it has been applied and will deliver a correct dose of the flu vaccine, without the risk of overdosing or any damage to the skin. The needles are only 300ths of an inch, or 650 microns in length, and about 100 of them are being used in research. One day, people will no longer sit in doctor’s offices waiting to get a flu shot. These vaccine patches will be delivered to homes where the whole family can benefit and ultimately be protected from flu virus.