CDC Claims Needle-free FluMist Influenza Vaccine is Ineffective

Experts are claiming that the popular, needle-free FluMist vaccine was ineffective last year and should not be administered this coming flu season. The nasal spray flu vaccine accounts for approximately one-third of all flu vaccines given to children, according to the CDC ⁽¹⁾.

FluMist uses weakened strains of flu virus to stimulate the immune system. Unlike traditional, injectable vaccines, FluMist is sprayed up the nose making it the perfect solution for children and adults afraid of needles. Providers fear the FluMist revelation might further discourage people from getting vaccinated. In a recent article by the Dallas Morning News, Zack Thompson, Director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, stated, “It’s just one more reason for not taking the vaccine and one more challenge in encouraging people to get vaccinated when there’s already a lot of variables associated with it ⁽²⁾." 

To get an adequate immune response, the viruses need to replicate. Experts suggest that the poor replication may have something to do with the added B strains dominating and causing the other vaccine viruses to reproduce less efficiently ⁽³⁾.  

The CDC claims that no benefit could be measured from the nasal spray vaccine administered last year. On the other hand, inactivated influenza vaccine (flu shots) had an effectiveness of approximately 63% against all flu viruses in children 2 to 17 years old.  

The company who makes FluMist, MedImmune, which is owned by AstraZeneca, claims that the findings by the CDC are inaccurate and that their findings demonstrated that FluMist was more than 50% effective last flu season in Britain.

Influenza is extremely tricky to vaccinate against. The virus is extremely mutation-prone meaning the vaccine needs to be made fresh every year. Sometimes the circulating strains mutate faster than the vaccine manufacturers are able to produce them. In addition, the strains which circulate through the United States may be completely different than the ones circulating through Europe or Asia ⁽⁴⁾.

The CDC highly recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months old should be vaccinated against the flu each year, unless unique circumstances persist. Everyone reacts to flu vaccines differently. The flu usually has the worst effect on very young children and the elderly. It kills anywhere between 4,000 and 50,000 people a year in the United States. Flu vaccines immensely reduce the risk of becoming severely ill. Those who get vaccinated may still contract the flu, but they are much less likely to become hospitalized or lose their life to the infection ⁽⁴⁾.

Vaccine manufacturers projected over 170 million doses of flu vaccine, including FluMist, would be available in the United States for the upcoming flu season. The makers of FluMist had projected a supply of approximately 14 million doses which accounts for 8% of the projected flu vaccine supply.

The CDC commented that they will be working with manufacturers throughout the summer to ensure there is enough vaccine supply to meet demand ⁽¹⁾.  They also mentioned it is highly unlikely that there will be a shortage of flu vaccine.

For helpful hints on keeping your flu vaccines potent, download our Ultimate Guide to Vaccine Storage.

1. _{"FluMist Nose Spray Vaccine Doesn't Work, Experts Say." CNBC. N.p., 23 June 2016. Web. 05 July 2016.}
2. _{Philips, Sarah. "Why the CDC Wants Your Kids to Get a Flu Shot next Fall, Not Popular FluMist Spray." The Scoop Blog. The Dallas Morning News, 23 June 2016. Web. 07 July 2016.}
3. _{"Medscape FluMist Vaccine Article." Medscape Flu Vaccine. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 July 2016.}
4. _{"Why Didn't FluMist Flu Vaccine Work? Your Questions Answered." NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 July 2016.}
5.  _{Image: "FluMist & Other Nasal Spray Vaccines | Vaccination Information Network."Vaccination Information Network FluMist Other Nasal Spray Vaccines Comments. N.p., 01 Oct. 2014. Web. 05 July 2016.}