Is your needle long enough?
Image via Wikipedia
Yet another danger of obesity has come to light: inadequate vaccination.
In a new study, the researchers report that using a standard 1-inch needle to immunize obese adolescents against hepatitis B virus produced a much weaker effect than using a longer needle.
It makes sense. If you’re trying to administer a vaccine into a muscle that’s covered by more than one inch of chub, a one-inch needle clearly won’t cut it. This study showed that using a 1.5-inch needle greatly improved the success of vaccinations in the obese. I suspect it’s only a matter of time before someone suggests that a body fat measurement be performed prior to vaccinations in order to determine the proper needle size. That, or that everyone gets their vaccinations with the hypodermic equivalent of a javelin.
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