Does the nasal flu vaccine work? This year may be more effective than past years

Over the past two years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has advised against the use of nasal spray flu vaccine, but the public health organization says it's now the case. According to the CDC website, the nasal spray is again recommended for anyone who is not pregnant, is over two years old and is under 49 years of age without any health problems such as asthma, allergies to previous vaccines, immune system suppressed and cardiac and pulmonary disorders. The Chicago Tribune indicates that the nasal version of the influenza vaccine has not been very effective in protecting a specific influenza strain – H1N1 – in recent seasons, but is expected to work better this year.

Consumer reports notes that although the nasal flu vaccine is back on the list of recommended CDC vaccines for the 2018 to 2019 period, it is not the first choice of children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) ). The AAP is worried about whether the new nasal spray will be effective this season and recommends it only to children who are particularly afraid of needles. That said, the CDC does the nasal flu shot, which does not recommend one version of the vaccine over the other, Consumer reports other notes.

The CDC further indicates that the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine can change from year to year because the virus can be difficult to predict. TIME also notes that the manufacture of effective influenza vaccines may be more difficult than consumers sometimes realize. Since different strains of influenza occur each year and some at-risk groups are more affected than others – regionally and by age – creating an effective flu vaccine can be a challenge. for researchers.

That said, the CDC says that, according to their data, the new nasal spray flu vaccine is expected to be more effective against the strain of H1N1 flu this year. The CDC further suggests that a dose of the influenza vaccine be taken once per influenza season. The nasal spray containing the live attenuated influenza vaccine (meaning that the virus is alive but weakened to not cause the flu) is sprayed directly into the nose, where it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to take effect. The CDC recommends that flu shots be taken by the end of October for full protection.

According to NBC, although influenza vaccines can potentially cause mild side effects, such as runny nose, cough, body aches or sore throat, the nasal spray will not cause the flu. With last year's influenza season so bad, public health officials are recommending that everyone receive a version of the flu shot this year. If you have allergies or underlying medical conditions, be sure to check with your doctor to find out what vaccines are safe for you this year. But ultimately, anyone who can get the vaccine, in any form, should do it.

"The flu is so common now that most people view it more as a nuisance than a dangerous virus, but in reality, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized each year for influenza-related causes, with many fatal cases, "said Alec Ginsberg. CO Bigelow Apothecaries pharmacist, says Bustle. "In addition to protecting you, the flu vaccine protects your entire community. friends, family, colleagues, children and anyone who comes in contact with you. The symptoms can be brutal and keep you in bed for days, and the virus is very contagious even before the symptoms occur. You can transmit it before knowing that you are infected. The more people vaccinated, the less likely the virus is to circulate. "