新的流感疫苗接种方式不用打针

 

Most people think of influenza¹ as a common health problem -- not a serious condition.

Yet an influenza infection can be deadly, especially in older adults, young children and people with weak or failing health.

Every year, less than half of all adult Americans who should have a flu vaccine² actually get one.

The vaccine is injected into the muscle of the upper arm. The injection is painful. It can leave redness on the skin and cause swelling³, temporarily enlarging the area.

In the United States, flu season usually begins in late autumn and continues until spring.

Now, scientists have developed a treatment that may soon take the pain out of flu vaccines⁴. And, they hope it will increase the percentage of Americans getting flu shots.

Nadine Rouphael is a professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the lead investigator⁵ for clinical testing of the influenza skin patch.

Rouphael explained that the patch has very small needles that contain the flu vaccine. She said the needles completely melt into the skin and do not leave any sharp waste afterward⁶.

Patients wear the patch for just a few minutes. Then, the material can be thrown away.

The clinical tests took place in June 2015 and involved 100 patients. They were from 18 to 49 years old. None had received a flu vaccine during the most recent influenza season.

The patients were divided into four groups.

Health care providers or patients put on the influenza patches. Some of the patients also received the vaccine by injection. The fourth group was given a placebo⁷, or harmless substance.

Whether the patch was put on the skin by a health care provider or by a patient, Rouphael says it was as safe and effective as the common needle injection. There were few harmful effects, including a small amount of redness and swelling, which lasted a few days.

The findings were reported in The Lancet.

The investigators⁸ wrote in their report that, six months after the vaccination⁹, both the common needle and patch methods offered similar protection.

Nadine Rouphael says the patients who used the patch liked it.

"We do have a lot of people that are typically scared of needles and they're more prone¹⁰ or were more excited about being part of this clinical trial so they could try the microneedle instead."

Rouphael says 70 percent of those who used the patch liked it more than an injection.

The patch does not need to be kept in cool place. So Rouphael says it could be sold in stores or mailed to patients. The fact that it is painless, she notes, means more people will probably get vaccinated¹¹ against the seasonal¹² flu virus.

The Global Center for Medical Innovation manufactures the patch. The company is also investigating using the technology for other vaccines, including for measles¹³, mumps¹⁴ and rubella.

I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

clinical – adj. of or relating to a medical treatment

patch - n. a piece of material that is worn for medical reasons

needle – n. a very thin, pointed¹⁵ tube that is pushed through the skin so that something, such as a drug, can be put into your body or so that blood or other fluids can be taken from it

prone – adj. likely to do, have, or suffer from something

1 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

2 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

3 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

4 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

5 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

6 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

7 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

8 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

10 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

11 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

12 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

13 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

14 mumps   

n.腮腺炎

参考例句：

• Sarah got mumps from her brother.萨拉的弟弟患腮腺炎，传染给她了。
• I was told not go near Charles. He is sickening for mumps.别人告诉我不要走近查尔斯， 他染上了流行性腮腺炎。

15 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。