A 'painless' sticking plaster flu jab that delivers vaccine into the skin has passed important safety tests in the first trial in people.

The patch has a hundred tiny hair-like microneedles on its adhesive side that penetrate the skin's surface.

It is simple enough for people to stick on themselves.

That should help more people get immunised, including those who are scared of injections, experts told the http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2817%2930575-5/fulltext?elsca1=tlpr" rel="nofollow - Lancet journal .

Unlike the http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/flu-influenza-vaccine.aspx" rel="nofollow - standard flu jab , it doesn't need to be kept in the fridge, meaning pharmacies could easily stock it on their shelves for people to buy.

Volunteers who tested it said they preferred it to injections.

It offers the same protection as a regular vaccine, but without pain, according to its developers from http://www.emory.edu/home/index.html" rel="nofollow - Emory University and the http://www.gatech.edu/" rel="nofollow - Georgia Institute of Technology , who are funded by the US National Institutes of Health.

....

...

The patch can be thrown in the bin after it is used because the microneedles dissolve away.

And because it can be safely stored for up to a year without refrigeration, it could prove extremely useful in the developing world.....