A common sight at the pediatrician’s office is that of a baby wailing and a parent wincing as the infant receives a vaccination, but a new gel may cut down on the number of those gut-wrenching moments.The good news is that the gel, Ametop, significantly reduces the pain babies experience when getting these shots. The bad news is that it’s not available in the United States.Ametop gel contains 4 percent of the anesthetic amethocaine. When it is applied to the skin 30 minutes before a shot is given, there is a significant reduction in the pain that infants feel when getting vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), according to a report in the December issue of Pediatrics.
