Measles and rubella vaccines are safe and effective, however, achieving equitable coverage, particularly for the second dose of measles containing vaccine (MCV2) is well below the 95% target of immunized children. Consequently, there were over 140,000 deaths globally, in 2018.
Novel and improved vaccine delivery platforms such as microarray patches (MAPs) are needed to address the increasing challenge of achieving and sustaining effective vaccination of MRVs, to achieve the eradication of measles and rubella, a goal set by the WHO and partners. MAPs offer competitive advantages over needle and syringe (NS) vaccine delivery:
- They have a potential to be more thermostable and freeze resistant
- They do not require reconstitution resulting in an improved safety profile
- They are easier to use, do not contain sharps
- They are more acceptable by caregivers and vaccinees.
Measles and rubella MAPs (MR-MAPs) will soon enter phase one clinical trials and although early in development, critical actions are needed to prepare the pathway for late stage product development and mitigate against delays in scale up.
How, where and when are we going to use microarray patches to deliver #measles and #rubella vaccines?
