Washington – Flu shots don’t protect babies and preschoolers quite as well as they do older children, but a new study Monday suggests spraying flu vaccine into a tot’s nose may work better.
The study, presented at a child-health meeting, found spray vaccine was 55 percent more effective than traditional flu shots when given to nearly 8,000 children younger than 5.
The nasal spray FluMist, the only flu vaccine made of live but weakened influenza virus, is sold only for children 5 and older. Manufacturer MedImmune Inc., which funded the new research, plans to seek FDA approval to sell FluMist for younger children as well.
Flu experts say the findings have important public health implications. Each winter, flu kills 36,000 Americans, most of them elderly – and children are influenza’s prime spreaders, fueling infections in those older people.
“Our current thinking is that to control influenza, we really have to vaccinate all children,” said Dr. Robert Belshe, a prominent vaccine specialist at St. Louis University who led the new study.
