New flu patch: Pain-free protection

If needles make you cringe and avoid a flu shot each year, help may be on the way.

It may not belong before flu vaccines come in the form of a patch instead of a syringe.

Researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology designed the patch which is made up of 100 micro-size needles that dissolve into the skin. Unlike vaccines administered through a syringe, the patch administers its dose without using a needle that can be felt. Ten minutes after the patch is pressed into skin, the flu vaccine is administered.

"It's a safe vaccine," said Dr. Ioanna Skountzou with Emory University. "We are eliminating the sharps, the biohazards, because it's a dissolving patch and it does not include any metal part."

To date, researchers have tested the patch only on mice. However, they believe it can be adapted to humans.

"They dissolve quickly in the skin, they release the vaccine in a reliable way," said Mark Prausnitz, Georgia Tech researcher. "And they generate a good, strong immune response."

According to the study, the patch would not replace the standard flu vaccine delivered by syringe. Instead, it would only be offered to children and anyone who has a phobia of needles. Researchers say it may take five years to test the patch and offer it for human use.