When we mention vaccines, most people think of a shot at a clinic, pharmacy or doctor’s office. Next year, many Americans will be able to get their flu vaccines at home. It won’t be a shot though; the FDA has just approved FluMist, a nasal spray vaccine, for home use. Will this home flu vaccine help you?
Can You Use the Home Flu Vaccine?
Parents will be able to vaccinate their kids from 2 to 17 years old. Anyone 18 to 49 can administer it themselves. The maker, AstraZeneca, is even planning a home delivery option so that people won’t need to go to the pharmacy to pick it up. That could help a busy household get vaccinated for the winter with fewer steps. Since the approval just came through, all the arrangements will not be in place until the 2025-2026 flu season.
What Is the Story on Nasal Spray Vaccine?
Nasal spray vaccine may seem like a novelty, but FluMist has been available in doctors’ offices for more than 20 years. When the FDA considered it for home use, it required the company to demonstrate that the instructions are clear enough for anyone to follow. The home flu vaccine will still require a prescription. Public health officials hope, however, that being able to get vaccinated at home will help more people get protection from influenza.
How Effective Is FluMist Against Influenza?
As we have mentioned elsewhere, manufacturers need to reformulate vaccinations against influenza every year because influenza viruses mutate quickly. As a result, efficacy varies from year to year depending upon how closely the formulation fits the viruses circulating and causing illness. This is true for FluMist just as for injected vaccines.
One study found that FluMist ranged in effectiveness from 37 to 79% in schoolchildren (Expert Review of Vaccines, Sep. 7, 2015). We couldn’t find any randomized trials comparing FluMist to injected flu vaccines. Investigators at Kaiser Permanente Health System in northern California looked for serious side effects (Vaccine, March 1, 2017). In a population of more than 62,000 people between 2 and 50 years of age, they didn’t find anything significant. They point out, however, that rare side effects occurring once in 10,000 person-years or less often, would not have shown up.
Who Should Not Use the Home Flu Vaccine?
Giving or taking a flu vaccine at home with FluMist nasal spray is appropriate for many people. But there are some who should not rely upon it.
According to the CDC, these include:
- Children under 2
- Seniors 50 and over
- People who have had a previous allergic reaction to flu vaccine
- Youngsters on regular aspirin therapy (this should be a tiny number of kids)
- Kids between 2 and 4 with asthma
- Immunocompromised people
- Caretakers for immunocompromised people
- Pregnant people
If you have concerns about the status of anyone in your household, be sure to discuss them with the healthcare provider when requesting the prescription.
Learn More:
We offer information on managing symptoms as well as treatments and remedies in our eGuide to Colds, Coughs & the Flu. You may find it helpful.
