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LIVE, INTRANASAL INFLUENZA VACCINE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Who can get LAIV? Live, intranasal influenza vaccine is approved for healthy children and adults from 2 through 49 years of age, including most health-care workers and household contacts of most people at high risk for influenza complications. However, LAIV should not be given to pregnant women or people with certain medical conditions.

Who should not get LAIV? The following people should not get live intranasal influenza vaccine. They should check with their health-care provider about getting the activated vaccine.

Adults 50 years of age or older or children younger than 5.
People who have long-term health problems with: heart disease, lung disease, asthma, kidney disease, metabolic disease; such as diabetes, anemia and other blood disorders.
People with a weakened immune system due to: HIV/AIDS or other diseases affecting such
Long-term treatment with drugs that weaken the immune system, such as steroids.
Cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs.
Children or adolescents on long-term aspirin treatment (these people could develop Reyesyndrome if they get influenza).
Pregnant women.
Anyone with a history of Guillian-Barre' syndrome (a severe paralytic illness, also called GBS)

Inactivated influenza vaccine (the flu shot) is the preferred vaccine for people (including health-care workers, and family members) coming in close contact with anyone who has a severely weakened immune system (that is, anyone who requires care in a protected environment). Some people should talk with a doctor before getting either influenza vaccine: 1) anyone who has ever had a serious allergic reaction to eggs or to a previous dose of influenza vaccine. 2) People who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting flu vaccine. If your are ill, talk to your doctor or nurse about whether to reschedule the vaccination. People with a mild illness can usually get the vaccine.

What are the risks from LAIV? A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. However, the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. Live influenza vaccine viruses rarely spread from person to person. Even if they do, they are not likely to cause illness. LAIV is made from weakened virus and does not cause influenza. The vaccine can cause mild symptoms in people who get it (see below).

Mild problems: Some children and adolescents 5-17 years of age have reported mild reactions, including: runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain or occasional vomiting or diarrhea. Some adults 18-49 years of age have reported: runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, chills, tiredness/weakness, sore throat and headache. These symptoms did not last long and went away on their own. Although they can occur after vaccination, they may not have been caused by the vaccine.

Severe problems: Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it is within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination. If rare reactions occur with any new product, they may not be identified until thousands, or millions, of people have used it. Over two million does of LAIV have been distributed since it was licensed, and no serious problems have been identified. Like all vaccines, LAIV will continue to be monitored for unusual or severe problems.

What if there is a severe reaction? What should I look for? Any unusual condition, such as a high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a serious allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness.

What should I do? 1) Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away. 2) Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given. 3) Ask your doctor, nurse, or health department to report the reaction by filing a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form. 4) Or you can file this report through the VAERS website at www.vaers.hhs.gov, or by calling 1-800-822-7967.

How can I learn more? Ask your immunization provider. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information. Call your local or state health department. Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): call 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-CDC-INFO0 or visit CDC's website at www.cdc.gov/flu.