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new patch could let people ditch needles and give themselves the flu vaccine — opening the possibility of getting your annual flu immunization in the mail instead of at the doctor's office.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology developed the patch and found it works well when people give it to themselves. People were able to use the device correctly with little instruction and said they liked it a whole lot better than a flu shot.

“Our dream is that each year there would be flu vaccine patches available in stores or sent by mail for people to self-administer,” said Mark Prausnitz, a professor of biomolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “People could take them home and apply them to the whole family. We want to get more people vaccinated, and we want to relieve health care professionals from the burden of giving these millions of vaccinations.”

The patch is covered with an array of 50 tiny needles needles that barely penetrate the skin, and this initial study was testing how people used the patch, not how well it delivered vaccine. But other research by the group suggests it may be even more effective than a flu shot.

The researchers think it not only would save money — most of the cost of a shot is paying a doctor, nurse or pharmacist to deliver it — but it should also greatly increase the number of people getting flu shots.

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Källa: NBC NEWS