FluMist failure: nasal spray vaccine fails to protect kids

CDC advisory panels recommends against using FluMist

Forget the spray instead of the shot. That's the decision from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The panel of experts voted that the popular nasal spray vaccine FluMist should not be used during the 2016-2017 flu season.

The decision comes after data from last year's flu season finds FluMist was only 3 percent effective in children, essentially offering no protection at all. By comparison, last year's flu shot was 63 percent effective in children.

While that's distressing news for parents, doctors say this is exactly why the flu vaccine is monitored so closely.

"This is a perfect example of governmental organizations, vaccine manufacturers and science helping us know how to protect the public even better," said Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, a pediatrician.

When the nasal spray was approved, research found it offered comparable protection to the standard short, or in some cases, even better protection. The CDC said the reason for FluMist's recent poor performance isn't known.

Experts warn the decision not to recommend FluMist for the upcoming flu season could result in some shortages, particularly for vaccine providers who may had already placed vaccine orders.

The nasal spray accounts for about 8 percent of the total projected supply of flu vaccine, but it made up a third of all flu vaccines given to children last year. The CDC says it will be working with manufacturers of the traditional vaccine throughout the summer to ensure there is enough to go around.

"We want choice with vaccines, but more than anything we want safety and we want effectiveness. This year the safest and most effective way to vaccinate your kids and your family and pregnant women and the elderly is to take the shot," said Swanson.

This new recommendation could be reversed when the panel reconsiders FluMist next year.

Astrazeneca, the company that makes FluMist, said in a statement, other research contradicts the CDC's findings.