MicrobeWorld

The recent H1N1 flu pandemic reminded everyone in public health that our methods for quickly and efficiently vaccinating large numbers of people really stink. Eggs are required to grow vaccine in a sensitive and time-consuming process, manufacturers have to assemble the vaccine in syringes and then healthcare professionals have to administer the painful shots to people who often wait in excruciatingly long lines to receive it (including children who cry afterward for a very long time).

A much better way of delivering flu and other types of vaccines is on the horizon. A consortium of researchers from the United States and Europe are reporting progress in a self-administered vaccine skin patch.