FluMist Nasal Vaccine Better than Shots for Most Young 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. 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 carr...