Nasal spray flu vaccine not effective

[luuknam]

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/s0622-laiv-flu.html

 

3% effective (95% confidence interval -49% to 37%) in kids ages 2-17 during the 2015-2016 season. Are you kidding me?

[TranquilMind]

Wow.  I had not seen that, but I thought the 20% effectiveness we previously heard was low! 

 

"In late May, preliminary data on the effectiveness of LAIV among children 2 years through 17 years during 2015-2016 season became available from the U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network. That data showed the estimate for LAIV VE among study participants in that age group against any flu virus was 3 percent (with a 95 percent Confidence Interval (CI) of -49 percent to 37 percent). This 3 percent estimate means no protective benefit could be measured."

 

We never do flu anyway, but the "low price" on GoodRx indicates that one of these Flumist shots  cost $28 a pop, conservatively, and millions were sold, so someone is sitting on millions of dollars after selling these. 

Edited August 9, 2016 by TranquilMind

[cintinative]

We get the shot because the first year we did the live one (flumist) both boys got sick with fevers.  No thank you. We have done the shot since then. 

[prairiewindmomma]

We were never eligible because our asthma dx--always had to do the shot--but anecdotally, our pediatricians stopped doing the mist a couple of years ago because they had noticed that their patients who had gotten the mist were still getting the flu.

 

3% efficacy is abysmal, though. How did that not pop up in testing?

[whitestavern]

We don't do any flu vaccines, but wow, that's pathetic.

[Mona]

I haven't considered FluMist because it is a live virus in your nose that can shed up to 21 days meaning your spreading the virus around for 3 weeks through secretions and sneezing. Also, I don't want live virus in my child's nasal passage because of the high risk of it reaching the brain.

 

 

[luuknam]

We never do flu anyway, but the "low price" on GoodRx indicates that one of these Flumist shots  cost $28 a pop, conservatively, and millions were sold, so someone is sitting on millions of dollars after selling these. 

 

That was my thought too. We've always either done shots or no flu vaccine, but I thought some people would appreciate a heads up.

 

ETA: to be clear, I do think there are a lot of expenses in manufacturing vaccines, but regardless, past year's nasal spray flu vaccines were a big waste of money.

Edited August 9, 2016 by luuknam

[Guest]

The few times that we've done the flu vaccination, we've done the shots.

 

However, I agree that a 3% effectiveness rate is pathetic.  That should have shown up in testing.

[Joshin]

We do shots, but I'm curious -- was this just last year's vaccine or the mist vaccine in general? I simply ask because if it was only last year's vaccine, it isn't a major longterm problem. There are many different flu vaccines, and each year the CDC has to try and make (an educated) guess which ones are going to be the main culprit for most flu cases. This is why you can still get a flu virus with a vaccine. So, if the CDC made the wrong call with the mist last year, then it wouldn't have been very effective over whichever strains were the most common.

[Loowit]

I wish I could say I was surprised.  Two of my kids can't get the mist anyway due to asthma.  We did it once with other kid because he is needle phobic, but we typically don't do flu vaccines anyway.

[luuknam]

We do shots, but I'm curious -- was this just last year's vaccine or the mist vaccine in general? I simply ask because if it was only last year's vaccine, it isn't a major longterm problem. There are many different flu vaccines, and each year the CDC has to try and make (an educated) guess which ones are going to be the main culprit for most flu cases. This is why you can still get a flu virus with a vaccine. So, if the CDC made the wrong call with the mist last year, then it wouldn't have been very effective over whichever strains were the most common.

 

You can get details if you follow the link in the OP, but yes, that statistic was last year's. That said, the CDC's advisory committee on vaccines is recommending that the CDC stops recommending the nasal spray flu vaccine for the coming year. It's my understanding that the effectiveness wasn't great in other years either. If it were simply an issue of making a wrong guess wrt which strains are going to be the most common, then I'd imagine the regular shot would've also had an abysmal effectiveness, which it didn't (it wasn't stellar, at an estimated 63%, but it's way better than 3%).

[Joshin]

Thank you, Luuknam! I'm sitting at the oil change place on my phone, and my phone wouldn't load the link correctly for easy reading :)

[luuknam]

Thank you, Luuknam! I'm sitting at the oil change place on my phone, and my phone wouldn't load the link correctly for easy reading :)

 

Huh. I read it on my phone last night when I was having trouble sleeping because my body was hurting all over (yep, sick today - and it was supposed to be beach day with some other homeschoolers and it's 90F :().

[Amy in NH]

We do regular vaccines, but don't bother with the flu.

[sbgrace]

Yikes. We've done mist when it was available because the last research I saw (I think Cochrane I think) indicated they were more effective than the shot in pediatric populations. That said, I always knew flu vaccination wasn't very effective depending on the circulating strains. But then flu is miserable and, for some of us here, riskier than average. I guess we'll do shots from here on.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2016 by sbgrace

[TravelingChris]

We do flu shots here.  And thankfully, they have all been effective since no one in my family has ever had the flu since dh and I started getting them in college.

[luuknam]

We do flu shots here.  And thankfully, they have all been effective since no one in my family has ever had the flu since dh and I started getting them in college.

 

Actually, in any given year only about 5-20% of people get the flu, so most of the time you wouldn't get the flu even if you didn't get vaccinated. I know people who haven't had the flu in decades and don't ever get vaccinated. But no flu is good. :)

[Crimson Wife]

Kaiser HMO doesn't do the mist so the past 2 years I had to listen to complaints from my kids about the shots. Now I'm glad they didn't get the spray! We switched back to a PPO this year but I'm pretty sure that our pediatrician won't offer the spray this year given the poor efficacy.

[CanadianAlison+3boys]

Well that seriously sucks. We will continue to get flu shots all around this year but I am interested to read more if they figure out why the poor showing when it had been said that flumist was more effective in pediatric populations previously.

[ScoutTN]

We don't bother with the flu vax for me or the kids. Kids have had it once when they were little and they caught it at the doctor's office when there for a well-check!

 

Dh gets it free at work - always the shot.

[carriede]

I voted other.

 

I am disappointed, but not for myself. My kids get a shot. I am disappointed for all those who did choose the spray thinking they were still being protected.

[Janie Grace]

We do the shot anyway (when we get it). I don't like live vaccines.

[Lady Florida.]

We get the shots. Ds did get the mist for a few years when he really hated needles, but eventually I convinced him to get the shot. He would get a shot for his other vaccinations so the flu shot wouldn't be any worse. More often yes, but not worse. 

 

Dh and I always took the shot anyway. I don't think our insurance covered the mist for our age group.

[kitten18]

Kaiser HMO doesn't do the mist so the past 2 years I had to listen to complaints from my kids about the shots. Now I'm glad they didn't get the spray! We switched back to a PPO this year but I'm pretty sure that our pediatrician won't offer the spray this year given the poor efficacy.

Is that new? My kids had the mist a few years ago at Kaiser.

[El...]

Well.  That's really good to know.  Thanks!

 

[mom31257]

We've never taken flu shots. We've had 6 total cases of flu between all 4 of us in the 25 years we've been married. The last time was 3 of those, Dh and both kids, about 6 years ago.

[HSmomof2]

We did the mist when dc were little. Dd got the flu every year she'd had the mist. Followed by pneumonia and usually an ER visit. She's had the shot the last four years, and hasn't had the flu since.

[Tap]

It doesn't affect us.  4/5 of us has asthma, so we aren't eligible anyways.  DH gets the shot at work.  

 

 

[Bluegoat]

I said disaapointed, but I considered "Meh."

 

It's only my ds6 that I've considered the spray for, as he is really beyond the pale terrified of needles at this point.  He is really put out that there is no spray available for thi year and has actually brought it up a few times.  I may just not get him a flu shot with the rest of us.

[Crimson Wife]

Is that new? My kids had the mist a few years ago at Kaiser.

 

Kaiser is regional so it's entirely possible that the various different Kaisers have different policies on the mist. This was Kaiser No. CA.

[ChemMommy]

Got this from one of my former students who is now a pediatrician. He said that the flu mist was being a large immunity in the nasal passages. In subsequent years, the attenuated flu mist was neutralized by the nasal passage immunity; basically little of the flu mist made it to the full body. I'm sure he simplified it for me, but he was very disappointed that flu mist didn't work. I'm not sure anyone could foresee this response unless they did flu mist studies over multiple years on the same people.

[catz]

We must be lucky, because we never got the flu after we had the mist (or the shot).  We have literally had the full on flu every winter we did not get immunized.  Not always all of us, but always at least one.  Guess we'll be switching to the shot.

[AmandaVT]

DS hated the mist the one year he got it and has picked the shot every year since. My friend's son is terrified of needles and is going to be very upset when he hears though.

 

DH "forgot" to get his flu shot the past 2 years (the nurse literally came to his work to give them all the shot for free and he somehow managed to escape). Both years, he was sick in bed for a week with the flu. DS and I didn't get sick. I may march him to the Dr. myself this year for it!

[HS Mom in NC]

Meh.  None of us think needles are that big of a deal.  I get a B-12 shot every week. We selectively vaccinate and have gotten shots.  It's nice to have choices, but apparently the mist isn't a good choice. Shrug.

[Katy]

I'm not sure that there isn't something similar with the flu shot, because last year the vaccine was one of the worst matches ever to the strains that were circulating.

 

I hate the mist anyway.  It actually makes you ill with the full-blown flu, at least in my family.  Fevers and everything. Perhaps it lasts 2 days less than just catching it, but it doesn't make you less miserable.