Citing poor effectiveness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) do not recommend the nasal flu vaccine spray.
The AAP and CDC recommend that everyone ages six months and older receive a seasonal flu shot during the 2016-17 season…
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) announced in June that it didn’t recommend the nasal flu vaccine spray, citing studies that found the nasal spray vaccine did not protect against certain strains of the flu virus that were most prominent the past three seasons. The nasal spray vaccine effectiveness among children two through 17 years was three percent in 2015-16, compared with 63 percent for the injected vaccine. In a revised policy statement released this week, the AAP said it supports the CDC’s recommendation not to use the nasal flu vaccine.
The AAP and CDC recommend that everyone ages six months and older receive a seasonal flu shot during the 2016-17 season, noting that vaccination remains the best available preventive measure against the flu.
For updated flu vaccine recommendations for the 2016-2017 season, visit the CDC’s website.
