The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recently announced that FluMist Quadravalent, the only nasal spray flu vaccine currently available on the market, should not be used during the 2016-2017 flu season.
Data from CDC studies has shown that the nasal spray vaccine was only 3% effective in protecting against any flu virus in children between 2 and 17 years of age. In other words, the nasal spray vaccine did not offer significant protection against illness during the flu season. The flu shot, however, was shown to be 63% effective.
Other studies done by other professionals have also indicated that the nasal spray vaccine is not as effective as the shot.
The ACIP continues to recommend that everyone 6 months and older be vaccinated every flu season, but this year, it’s probably time to go back to the shot.
