Flu shot works better than spray in adults
There are two ways to get the flu vaccine -- in a shot, or in a mist that sprays up the nose. While both have long been used to protect the public from seasonal flu strains, a new study found the shot was 50 percent more effective than the spray for healthy adults.
The spray, made by Maryland manufacturer MedImmune and known as FluMist, uses a live -- but weakened -- form of the virus to make the vaccine. The traditional shot used in the study was manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur and is made from an inactivated virus grown in chicken eggs.
The mist has become an increasingly popular way to give the vaccine in children -- what child wants to sit still for a needle in the arm? It's also very effective in kids under 6. But people have questioned whether it is as effective in adults.
The study, published in the new issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, was carried out in 1,954 healthy adults 18 to 49 years old during the 2007-2008 flu season. Those who got the shot responded far better than those who used the mist.
The findings do NOT address the efficacy of the swine flu vaccine -- which will be offered in both shot and mist forms, the authors carefully point out. But this data may inform the decisions made in future flu season, no matter the strain, the authors said.
We are entering a new era of influenza control, one in which different types of vaccines may be appropriate for different age groups.
Baltimore Sun photo
