Aerosol Form Of Measles Vaccine

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if kids could get vaccines that were safe and effective without having to have a needle poke?

Measles Vaccine

The March 4th, 2000 issue of The Lancet featured an article about an aerosol form of measles vaccine that was as effective as the injection, while maintaining a similar safety profile.  However, a subsequent randomized controlled trial done in 2015 showed the aerosolized version had lower rates of seropositivity than the injection.  This is a current area of study, and we will see what the next couple of years bring on this front. 

Large-scale testing will be needed before routine vaccines like this are widely available, but the future looks bright for more and more kid-friendly delivery systems.

When I’ve asked kids with cancer about the toughest part of having cancer, many of them say it’s the needle stick. How wonderful that researchers are working on ways to eliminate many of the needles that children face.

References and Resources

Athmanundh D, et al. Response to different vaccine strains given by aerosol and subcutaneous routes to school children: a randomised study. The Lancet 2000; 355(9206):798-803. 

Low, Nicola, et al. A randomized controlled trial of an aerosolized vaccine against measles. N Engl J Med 2015; 372:1519-1529.