FluMist Nasal Vaccine Better than Shots for Most Young Children

February 17th, 2007

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that a new version of the nasal spray vaccine FluMist prevents influenza better than tradition needle vaccinations in most children. But for babies age 6 months to 1 year or older children who sometimes wheeze in breathing, the research showed that old-fashioned shots are safer.

In a worldwide test on 8,400 preschoolers completed during the 2004-2005 flu season, 8.6% of children receiving shots developed flu, while only 3.9 children given the spray succumbed to the virus. The spray was shown to dramatically reduce the risk of flu-related ear and lower respiratory tract infections, as well.

Needle vaccinations are made of killed virus particles that provided less protection to children under age 5 than to adults. Preschoolers given the needle also exhibited more side effects. The nasal spray uses live, weakened viruses.

Researchers at the St. Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri found that both treatments reduced children’s flu rates, but half as many of those who received the nasal spray became ill as those getting flu shots. So, for children over a year old who don’t have a history of wheezing (about 80% of children), it appears that the intranasal vaccine is better.

The spray vaccine could carry special risks for children younger than 12 months. They are more likely to develop wheezing and more than twice as likely to be hospitalized for any cause if they received FluMist instead of needle vaccination.

For children who are able to benefit from FluMist, the induction of antibodies into the nose is helpful. The nose is generally the area where the flu virus enters the body, and the nasal spray appears to induce more complete immune response. The spray was also found to work against flu strains that had mutated slightly over time, giving high protection even when circulating strains aren’t a perfect match to the vaccine.

In this study, researchers used a new version of FluMist that only needs refrigeration instead of freezing for storage. The FDA approved this version of the nasal vaccine in January 2007 for healthy children over 1 year old and for adults to age 49.

Health officials have in the past year been encouraging flu vaccinations for those age 6 months to 5 years to prevent the spread of influenza. This study helps give parents and clinicians valuable information to make informed decisions for either shots or nasal vaccines for their children.

Source:  CNN.Com

Entry Filed under: Asthma,CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE,COLD & FLU,Cold & Flu