By Thomas Hall and Shannon Lough
Girl receiving the FluMist spray. Photo courtesy of AstraZeneca Canada Inc.
Ottawa Public Health wrapped up its biggest flu shot campaign ever this weekend but researchers are still looking for a more effective way to prevent the flu in children. Some say the answer is FluMist, a vaccination that is sprayed into your nose and not shot through a needle.
The FluMist vaccination has been publicly funded for children by B.C., Alberta, Quebec, PEI, and the three territories. Currently, Public Health Ontario is studying the nasal spray vaccination in schools to determine whether this vaccine is the best option for children between the ages of two and eight. Good news for those scared of needles.
Flu shot syringe and vaccine. Photo by Shannon Lough.
“The goal of the flu vaccination campaign is to vaccinate everyone, especially those most at risk for complications from the flu, including children from six months to five years of age, seniors and the chronically ill,” said Dr. Jennifer Pereira of Public Health Ontario.
Making vaccines more efficient is critical for success, said Earl Brown, a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa who specializes in vaccination.
The FluMist. Photo courtesy of AstraZeneca Canada Inc.
Unlike other viruses, the flu changes every year, so people need to get vaccinated annually. But technology is allowing for more effective flu shots, said Brown. And scientists are better able than ever to pinpoint strains of the virus, and predict which strains will hit hardest come flu season.
Unfortunately, those who need the flu shot most, seniors and the very young, can be the hardest to vaccinate, said Brown.
A few years ago Canada introduced Adjuvant to its vaccines, which acts like a booster making the vaccines more effective for seniors. Public Health Ontario is hoping FluMist can do the same for children. The new vaccine consists of Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV), a weakened influenza virus that has been found to be more effective than the traditional flu shot for children aged two to 17 years, said Pereira.
Where the flu shot is administered at a pharmacy. Photo by Shannon Lough.
The trick, explained Brown, is that the virus has been weakened so it can’t survive in the lungs. The virus lasts long enough to create antibodies, and then dies.
“No one ever died from a runny nose,” joked Brown, but the risk is serious when the flu gets into the lungs. The flu is the most likely respiratory infection to send someone to the hospital, Brown said. And its symptoms, sore muscles, nausea, and fever are not to be taken lightly.
Studies on FluMist, the brand name for the LAIV nasal spray vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, have shown positive results, but it has only been approved for Canadians between the ages of two to 59.
A pilot study is being conducted at 10 elementary schools in Peterborough, Ont. to determine whether offering FluMist in schools will result in more children getting immunized against influenza. The study will compare the number of immunizations done at these schools to those at schools offering the traditional injection.
Health Canada approved FluMist in 2010, but it is not publicly funded by Ontario and costs about $25 a dose. “The results of the pilot study may provide the province with evidence to help decide if it should offer FluMist as part of its annual publicly funded influenza campaign.
“What we’re finding right now is that even though FluMist has been available since 2010, a lot of people don’t know about it,” said Pereira.
Pereira said one purpose of the study is to let parents know there is an alternative to the flu shot, which may help increase coverage because kids can be scared of the needle and avoid getting vaccinated.
Quebec is about one year ahead of Ontario in a similar study. In October 2012, McGill University Health Centre compared the spray to the injection at a children’s hospital and found that the spray was more effective. As well, the children and their parents preferred the spray to the painful needle. The McGill clinic continues its study this flu season.
Flu shot tools seen at a local pharmacy. Mouse over the tools to learn more about how medical professionals use each of them.
For more information about FluMist in Ontario visit:
Public Health Ontario FluMist Canada