Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUses for FluMistBefore TakingDosageSide EffectsWarnings & Interactions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Uses for FluMist
Before Taking
Dosage
Side Effects
Warnings & Interactions
FluMist is a nasal spray flu vaccine that can be used as an alternative to theflu shotin some people. Studies suggest that the two options offer a similar level of protection from flu.
FluMist may be a good option for adults or adolescents who are averse to injections or when there is a shortage of the traditional flu vaccine.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Beginning in 2024, all flu vaccines, including FluMist, contain three strains of flu virus: twoinfluenza A virusesand one influenza B virus. Previously, vaccines included four strains, but one of those is no longer in circulation.The specific variants chosen for each annual flu vaccine are based on surveillance from over 100 national influenza centers in over 100 countries.
FluMist was first approved for use in 2003.However, it was found to be less effective than flu shots in children during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 flu seasons, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to temporarily drop its recommendation for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons.
After FluMist was reformulated in 2018, the CDC added it back to the line-up of recommended vaccines for the 2018-2019 flu season and those thereafter.
Latest CDC Recommendations on Flu Vaccination
FluMist is an effective vaccine choice for some, but not all.
The vaccine is contraindicated for use in people who have had a prior severe allergic reaction to FluMist or any of the components of the vaccine, includingegg protein.
FluMist should also not be given to the following groups:
People who have recently takenflu antiviral drugsmay need to delay vaccination for two to five days.
FluMist should be used with caution in:
Flu Vaccine Side Effects in People With Asthma
Other Flu Vaccines
FluMist is the only live attenuated flu vaccine, as well as the only nasal spray flu vaccine.
*Not derived from chicken eggs and considered safe for use in people with egg allergy.
If FluMist is not recommended, speak to your healthcare provider about which of these is.
FluMist is a fine, dry powder delivered in a syringe-like sprayer. Each sprayer contains 0.2 milliliters (mL) of the vaccine, enough for a 0.1-mL dose in each nostril.
How to Administer
You can breathe normally during the administration and do not have to sniff.
What If I Sneeze After a Dose of FluMist?Not to worry. You can sneeze (or blow your nose) after receiving a dose of FluMist. There will still be enough of the vaccine in your nostrils to trigger a protective immune defense.
What If I Sneeze After a Dose of FluMist?
Not to worry. You can sneeze (or blow your nose) after receiving a dose of FluMist. There will still be enough of the vaccine in your nostrils to trigger a protective immune defense.
Side effects are common with all drugs and vaccines, and FluMist is no exception. Most are mild and transient and will usually resolve within a day. On very rare occasions, severe side effects may occur.
Common
According to pre-market clinical trials, FluMist was reported to cause the following side effects in 4% or more of users:
Most side effects were low-grade and resolved on their own without treatment.
Common Side Effects of Flu Vaccines
Severe
Younger children are at an increased risk of wheezing after receiving FluMist. Although the majority of cases in premarket studies involved children under 2 years old, the risk of wheezing remained elevated up until age 5. Some cases required hospitalization.
Allergic reactions to FluMist, while possible, are extremely rare. Those who may experience a reaction (including a severe whole-body allergy known asanaphylaxis) are people with a severe egg allergy.
Even so, vaccine-induced anaphylaxis is rare. In the United States, only 33 cases of anaphylaxis were reported out of over 25 million doses of childhood vaccines delivered from 2009 to 2011, according to a 2016 review of theJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Which Vaccines Are Safe If You’re Allergic to Eggs?
Warnings and Interactions
FluMist is avoided in children up to the age of 17 who take aspirin. There is concern that FluMist may trigger a potentially severe condition calledReye’s syndromein children recovering from viral infections.
Aspirin should be avoided for four weeks following vaccination with FluMist in anyone under the age of 18.
In addition to not using flu antivirals 48 hours before vaccination with FluMist, continue avoiding these drugs for two weeks after vaccination to ensure optimal effectiveness.
When Is It Too Late to Get a Flu Shot?
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Live attenuated influenza vaccine [LAIV] (the nasal spray flu vaccine).MedImmune.Package insert - FluMist Quadrivalent.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.US Will Transition to Trivalent Flu Vaccines for 2024-2025.Grohskopf LA, Sokolow LZ, Fry AM, Walter EB, Jernigan DB.Update: ACIP recommendations for the use of quadrivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV4) - United States, 2018-19 influenza season.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018 Jun 8;67(22):643-5. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6722a5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Quadrivalent influenza vaccine.McNeil MM, Weintraub ES, Duffy J, et al.Risk of anaphylaxis after vaccination in children and adults.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Mar;137(3):868-78. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2015.07.048U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Questions and answers - FluMist quadrivalent (influenza virus vaccine live, intranasal).
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Live attenuated influenza vaccine [LAIV] (the nasal spray flu vaccine).MedImmune.Package insert - FluMist Quadrivalent.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.US Will Transition to Trivalent Flu Vaccines for 2024-2025.Grohskopf LA, Sokolow LZ, Fry AM, Walter EB, Jernigan DB.Update: ACIP recommendations for the use of quadrivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV4) - United States, 2018-19 influenza season.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018 Jun 8;67(22):643-5. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6722a5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Quadrivalent influenza vaccine.McNeil MM, Weintraub ES, Duffy J, et al.Risk of anaphylaxis after vaccination in children and adults.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Mar;137(3):868-78. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2015.07.048U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Questions and answers - FluMist quadrivalent (influenza virus vaccine live, intranasal).
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Live attenuated influenza vaccine [LAIV] (the nasal spray flu vaccine).MedImmune.Package insert - FluMist Quadrivalent.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.US Will Transition to Trivalent Flu Vaccines for 2024-2025.Grohskopf LA, Sokolow LZ, Fry AM, Walter EB, Jernigan DB.Update: ACIP recommendations for the use of quadrivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV4) - United States, 2018-19 influenza season.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018 Jun 8;67(22):643-5. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6722a5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Quadrivalent influenza vaccine.McNeil MM, Weintraub ES, Duffy J, et al.Risk of anaphylaxis after vaccination in children and adults.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Mar;137(3):868-78. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2015.07.048U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Questions and answers - FluMist quadrivalent (influenza virus vaccine live, intranasal).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Live attenuated influenza vaccine [LAIV] (the nasal spray flu vaccine).
MedImmune.Package insert - FluMist Quadrivalent.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.US Will Transition to Trivalent Flu Vaccines for 2024-2025.
Grohskopf LA, Sokolow LZ, Fry AM, Walter EB, Jernigan DB.Update: ACIP recommendations for the use of quadrivalent live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV4) - United States, 2018-19 influenza season.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018 Jun 8;67(22):643-5. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6722a5
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Quadrivalent influenza vaccine.
McNeil MM, Weintraub ES, Duffy J, et al.Risk of anaphylaxis after vaccination in children and adults.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Mar;137(3):868-78. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2015.07.048
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Questions and answers - FluMist quadrivalent (influenza virus vaccine live, intranasal).
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