Panel: Flu spray better than shots for young kids

ATLANTA -- When it comes to flu vaccines, a federal panel says a squirt in the nose is better than a shot in the arm for young children.

The advisory panel voted yesterday to advise doctors that FluMist nasal spray is a bit better at preventing flu in healthy young kids. The recommendation is specific to ages 2 through 8 only.

Some studies have found that kids within that age group are about half as likely to get the flu if they had the spray vaccine instead of a shot.

Federal health officials usually adopt the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. A flu vaccine is now recommended for virtually everyone over 6 months old.

AstraZeneca's FluMist is the only spray vaccine on the market. It is approved for healthy people ages 2 to 49. Unlike flu shots made from a killed virus, it is made from a live but weakened flu virus. Experts say the spray prompts a better immune response in children who may have never been infected with flu.

The nation's largest pediatrician's group, however, objected to giving preference: A representative of the American Academy of Pediatrics noted FluMist is more expensive, can't be used for everyone, and doctors have ordered their vaccine doses for the fall flu season. -- AP