Measles and rubella vaccine microneedle patch: new hope to reach the unreached children

Worldwide, more than 99% of the burden of measles infections and deaths affects populations in low-income and middle-income countries.1 Measles accounts for 3% of the global mortality of children younger than five years, constituting 90% of deaths from measles,2 and rubella is the main vaccine-preventable cause of birth defects.3 Vaccine coverage, both through routine immunisation and supplementary immunisation activities, remains below targets for measles elimination, with considerable heterogeneity between and within countries.1,4,5 Barriers to immunisation, such as strict cold-chain requirements, poor infrastructure, and suboptimal ratios of patients to health-care workers fuel inequity.6 Moreover, out of concern for vaccine wastage associated with multidose vials, health-care workers might miss vaccination opportunities by turning away eligible children unless a minimum number of children are present, given rapid loss of measles and rubella vaccine potency following reconstitution.6,7 Once reconstituted, within 1 h out of cold chain, half of measles vaccine potency is lost at 20°C, and almost all potency is lost at 37°C.8 Even when stored properly between 2 and 8°C, unused doses of measles and rubella vaccines must be discarded within 6 h of reconstitution.9 Developing new strategies for challenging delivery contexts is an ethical imperative. By providing a more thermostable, individual-dose, injection-free vaccine delivery device suitable for administration by local, non-medical personnel, MNPs could reduce wasted vaccine doses, needle-stick injuries, and breaks in the cold chain, as well as make waste management easier. [...]funding mechanisms will play an important role in ensuring the long-term operational viability of MNPs.6,10 Adigweme and colleagues’ contributions move the research one major step forward, offering great hope in the pursuit of equitable measles and rubella vaccine access.