Patches of Protection

Measles is a highly contagious and potentially serious disease caused by a virus called the Morbilivirus, which comes from the Paramyxoviridae family of viruses. Although measles only affects humans, the virus strain that causes it has been closely linked to other viruses that infect animals. Even though there is a vaccine for measles available worldwide, it is still one of the leading causes of infant and child mortality, especially in developing countries and continents like Africa and Asia. Prior to the inception of the vaccination and widespread immunization, measles was responsible for almost 2.6 million deaths annually. The vaccination rollout between 2000 and 2015 reduced measles deaths globally by 79%, it has not and cannot eliminate the virus altogether. Measles is spread via direct contact or can be spread through the air. Measles incubates for a period of ten to twelve days before it becomes symptomatic. The symptoms include a high fever, runny nose, coughing and potentially small, white spots on the inside of the cheek. Only after a few days do a rash erupt on the upper half of the body, particularly the face and neck, and then spreads downwards. Measles tends to have far more serious implications and is felt more acutely in young children.

Therefore, protecting vulnerable children from the disease is still a key priority for world health organisations, especially as the prevalence of measles vaccinations has decreased during Covid. However, just like the Covid pandemic, a decrease in standard vaccinations has encouraged the exploration of alternative means of protecting the public. For measles, a vaccine path is currently being trialled to test its effectiveness on children as an alternative method of prevention and protection. The idea behind the plaster-sized patch is a method of delivery that is easier to store and transport. The microarray patch delivers the vaccine via lots of micro-needles through the skin. The patch proves beneficial in that it doesn’t require the same level of expertise to apply or administer like the vaccine does, in addition, it presents a less ominous course of prevention, especially for children as there are no obvious needles to be seen and no pain (although temporary) to be incurred.

The trial focused on 200 healthy toddlers and babies to test their immune responses to the vaccine patch. Initial results show that after one does, approximately “90% of the babies were protected against measles and all infants against rubella.” Prof Ed Clarke, vaccine and immunity lead at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia believes that “these are extremely promising results which have generated a lot of excitement. They demonstrate for the first time that vaccines can be safely and effectively given to babies and young children using microarray-patch technology.”