[ti:New Vaccination Method Protects Against Influenza] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.16]Most people think of influenza as a common health problem [00:06.16]-- not a serious condition. [00:09.92]Yet an influenza infection can be deadly, [00:14.72]especially in older adults, young children [00:19.32]and people with weak or failing health. [00:23.92]Every year, less than half of all adult Americans [00:29.32]who should have a flu vaccine actually get one. [00:34.88]The vaccine is injected into the muscle of the upper arm. [00:41.64]The injection is painful. [00:45.32]It can leave redness on the skin and cause swelling, [00:50.52]temporarily enlarging the area. [00:54.44]In the United States, flu season usually begins in late autumn [01:00.68]and continues until spring. [01:04.24]Now, scientists have developed a treatment [01:08.23]that may soon take the pain out of flu vaccines. [01:13.88]And, they hope it will increase the percentage of Americans getting flu shots. [01:21.96]Nadine Rouphael is a professor of infectious diseases [01:27.92]at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. [01:34.96]She was the lead investigator for clinical testing of the influenza skin patch. [01:44.36]Rouphael explained that the patch has very small needles that contain the flu vaccine. [01:54.32]She said the needles completely melt into the skin [01:59.72]and do not leave any sharp waste afterward. [02:04.32]Patients wear the patch for just a few minutes. [02:10.40]Then, the material can be thrown away. [02:15.36]The clinical tests took place in June 2015 and involved 100 patients. [02:26.08]They were from 18 to 49 years old. [02:32.24]None had received a flu vaccine during the most recent influenza season. [02:41.32]The patients were divided into four groups. [02:46.64]Health care providers or patients put on the influenza patches. [02:53.76]Some of the patients also received the vaccine by injection. [03:00.56]The fourth group was given a placebo, or harmless substance. [03:07.56]Whether the patch was put on the skin by a health care provider or by a patient, [03:14.52]Rouphael says it was as safe and effective as the common needle injection. [03:22.84]There were few harmful effects, [03:25.72]including a small amount of redness and swelling, [03:30.52]which lasted a few days. [03:34.04]The findings were reported in The Lancet. [03:38.76]The investigators wrote in their report that, six months after the vaccination, [03:46.52]both the common needle and patch methods offered similar protection. [03:53.96]Nadine Rouphael says the patients who used the patch liked it. [04:00.51]"We do have a lot of people that are typically scared of needles [04:04.92]and they're more prone or were more excited about being [04:07.62]part of this clinical trial so they could try the microneedle instead." [04:11.84]Rouphael says 70 percent of those who used the patch liked it more than an injection. [04:21.80]The patch does not need to be kept in cool place. [04:27.16]So Rouphael says it could be sold in stores or mailed to patients. [04:36.80]The fact that it is painless, she notes, means more people will [04:43.04]probably get vaccinated against the seasonal flu virus. [04:49.60]The Global Center for Medical Innovation manufactures the patch. [04:56.48]The company is also investigating using the technology [05:02.04]for other vaccines, including for measles, mumps and rubella. [05:09.00]I'm Alice Bryant. [05:10.80]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM