Travel vaccinations can now be pain free

emla, a topical anaesthetic, is now approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use prior to vaccinations for people of all ages1, making pain can be a thing of the past for Australians travelling overseas.

When visiting certain parts of the world, travellers often require a number of vaccination injections to protect against viruses and diseases such as hepatitis A and B, typhoid and rabies.

emla, an effective topical anaesthetic, can help ease the pain associated with these injections by numbing the area before needle insertion1.

Julie, 28-years-old, is relieved that a product like emla is available in Australia.

“When planning an overseas trip, the last thing you want to think about are painful vaccinations you need to protect yourself against potentially dangerous viruses and diseases”.

“It is great that emla is available to ease the pain of vaccinations and provide some comfort and relief,” Julie said.

Dr Piazza, a Sydney-based general practitioner, believes pain has not only physical but emotional and psychological aspects to it, and international research shows that 10 percent of people have needle phobia2.

“Until now, many people avoided certain procedures because of the pain associated with that procedure,” Dr Piazza said. “Importantly, emla can help to minimise the number of people not completing their vaccination schedules3.”

Dr Piazza said that while this is good news for travellers, the benefits are far greater with many Australians now able to avoid needle pain.

“emla can help soothe the pain for teenagers receiving vaccinations through the school National Immunisation Program and those undergoing blood testing and a range of minor surgical and cosmetic procedures including hair removal, waxing, laser and Intense Pulsed Light (ILP) treatments, dermabrasion, piercings, removal of warts, moles, skin cancers and skin tags, tattooing, and tattoo removal1,” he said.

emla should be applied 60 minutes prior to the procedure and can be left on for up to five hours for adults and four hours for children. emla is effective for up to two hours after removing the cream or patch1.

emla was recently approved by the TGA for use in all age groups including full term babies 0-6 months, prior to vaccinations, genital skin procedures and in adults before various minor cosmetic procedures, such as hair removal including waxing, laser and IPL treatments1.

emla is available without a prescription from pharmacies as a patch for needles and anaesthesia of small areas, or cream for use in superficial skin surgery and anaesthesia of larger areas1.

emla has been used by more than 200 million people worldwide4.

For more information about emla see your pharmacist and visit www.emla.com.au or call 1800 805 342.

A Report by The Mole

1. emla® Approved Product Information. Date of TGA approval 23 May 2008.

2. Hamilton JG. Needle phobia: a neglected diagnosis J Fam Pract 1995; 41:169-75.

3. Dohlwitz A et al. No negative influence of EMLA application prior to BCG vaccination. Acta. Paediatr. 1998; 87: 480-1.

4 Data on File, AstraZeneca Pty Ltd.