CDC: Vaccine spray may not work for H1N1

Associated Press

NEW YORK

The nasal-spray version of the flu vaccine did not protect young children against swine flu last winter and might not work again this year, health officials said Thursday.

Preliminary results from three studies found that AstraZeneca’s FluMist had little or no effect in children against swine flu. That was the most-common bug making people sick last winter.

Because this year’s version of FluMist is the same, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it’s possible the spray vaccine won’t work for swine flu this season, either.

But officials say the spray is still OK to use. Though the flu season is just getting started, early tracking suggests swine flu — the H1N1 strain — won’t be a big player this year. Other strains are expected to be the major threat, and the vaccine works against those, said Dr. Alicia Fry, a CDC flu- vaccine expert.

That’s why she’s choosing a squirt up the nose for her 7-year-old daughter. And “she’d rather have FluMist than a shot” in the arm, Fry said.

But another flu expert, Vanderbilt University’s Dr. William Schaffner, said pediatricians might want to opt for flu shots for their young patients “just to be on the safe side.”

Why the nasal spray didn’t seem to work last year is a mystery: It has strong track record. The company said inadequate refrigeration of some doses shipped last summer could be an explanation.

Annual flu vaccinations are recommended for all Americans age 6 months and older. Flu shots are made from killed flu virus. FluMist is made using live but weakened virus, and is only approved for age 2 to 49.