What is the Nasal Flu Vaccine?

A nasal flu vaccine is a vaccination delivered via the nose to protect against yearly strains of the flu. Unlike the injected vaccination, this vaccine is made of a live attenuated virus. This means the virus or viruses have undergone some changes so they’re unlikely to cause flu in most people, and will still be likely to confer immunity for the strains of flu used in the vaccination. Injected flu vaccines tend to be made with dead viruses, and still confer immunity, but are less likely to be problematic for some at-risk populations.

Each year, makers of the vaccination determine which flu strains are likely to occur in the general population and they use those strains in the vaccination. Any vaccination, including a nasal flu vaccine, may be missing a key strain that unexpectedly shows up. While it’s fair to say both injected and nasal flu vaccine can do a good job of protecting against lots of strains of flu, they aren’t always perfect, and in past years have not contained the strains that made most people sick.

Another important thing to note about the nasal flu vaccine is that it is not suggested for all people. In fact in some groups, it is contraindicated and the injected vaccine is preferred instead. These groups include those who have wheezing, anyone over 50 or under two, people who have taken Tamiflu® in the last 48 hours, pregnant women, people on aspirin therapy, and those who have impaired immune systems.

For others, the nasal flu vaccine might be a good choice, and those who hate shots could definitely prefer it. Many people wonder exactly how the vaccine is administered. It often comes in a syringe that has no needle, but that may look like a shot. This is placed partially in the nostril and the medicine is very quickly pushed into the nose. This may be repeated in the second nostril. Most people only undergo this once a year for flu protection, but younger children may need two doses for full immunity.

Many people ask about the nasal flu vaccine for H1N1. This is different than the general yearly shot, and this was especially clear in early years of H1N1’s emergence. It is likely that protection from H1N1 will be added to the yearly flu shot and nasal flu vaccine to eliminate requiring two shots per year.