ST. LOUIS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led team of international medical scientists says a nasal spray influenza vaccine, FluMist, is more effective for babies than flu shots.
Led by Dr. Robert Belshe, director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the St. Louis University School of Medicine, the researchers found children under 5 years of age immunized with FluMist (Influenza Virus Vaccine Live, Intranasal) reported 55 percent fewer cases of influenza compared with children who received a traditional flu shot.
The study of 8,475 children ages 6 months to 59 months was conducted at 249 U.S., European, Asian and Middle Eastern sites.
"With only one influenza vaccine currently approved for use in children under the age of 4, options are limited and sometimes hard to come by," said Belshe. "This research gives us important insight into how we might help protect these vulnerable young children in the future."
FluMist, manufactured by MedImmune Inc., is indicated for healthy children and adolescents 5 to 17 years of age and healthy adults 18 to 49 years of age.
The study, conducted by MedImmune, is detailed in The New England Journal of Medicine.
