Needle phobic? Fluing nasal spray vaccine available instead of flu

More children died of flu last season than a year outside the pandemia of swine flu in 2009. Most of them were not vaccinated.

This is why some doctors hope that the first nasal flu vaccine available for home use will be able to improve vaccination rates in people, especially children, who are afraid of needles.

Astrazeneca Flou Maison, which was approved last fall, is now available with a prescription for children 2 and over, and adults up to 49 years.

A 2019 review of researchers from the University of Michigan revealed that the majority of children and up to 30% of young adults are afraid of needles.

Dr. Zachary Hoy, specialist in pediatric infectious diseases certified to the board of directors at Pediatrix Medical Group in Nashville, Tennessee, said that many children are afraid because they are not old enough to understand what vaccines are and why they are important.

“Most of the time, anxiety and concern before shooting are more frightening than the real blow,” said Hoy.

How does Flist Home work?

The vaccine was approved for the first time in 2003 to be given in a doctor’s office. However, after the 2009 swept pandemic introduced the new H1N1 strain, several studies revealed that the nasal spray was less effective than other flu vaccines. This prompted centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend against the use of nasal spray in 2016. At the time, the CDC said that the nasal spray represented a third of all the influenza vaccines given to children.

In response, the manufacturers of Flist has reformulated it to correspond more closely to the circulating strains, including H1N1, and the nasal spray returned in 2018. Like vaccines against injectable flu, vagueness is updated each season according to the recommendations of global health officials.

“The effectiveness of the vagueness is comparable to the vaccines against injectable flu and is an option without a safe and effective needle for protection against flu,” said Astrazeneca spokesperson Andrew Leone.

Experts say it is too early to say how bad the next season of the flu will be.

As a general rule, flu vaccines are 40% effective and 60% to prevent serious illnesses, and the scourmist must be just as protective. The doses for the 2026-2027 season contain three strains of virus: an A / H1N1 strain, an A / H3N2 strain and a B strain B / Victoria, according to the drug.

The blurry vaccine contains a weakened form of a living virus to stimulate the immune system. It is advisable to pregnant women or people with immune systems compromised to speak with their doctor before using it.

Does insurance cover it?

Flist Home is only available online. According to the drug manufacturer, people who order the nasal spray will have to fulfill a medical screening questionnaire on Flumist.com which is examined by a health professional. The online pharmacy of Flist Home will then collect insurance information and directly charge the health plan.

A temperature monitor on the packaging will check that the vaccine was kept at the appropriate temperature during shipping and delivery. Green means that it is sure to use. Red means that this is not the case.

Christina Aungst, editor in senior pharmacy at Goodrx, believes that people with insurance will probably only have to pay shipping costs of $ 8.99 for the nasal spray.

“Currently, if you have no insurance, Flist is only available in a health care establishment,” said Leone d’Astrazeneca. “We hope to provide a cash remuneration option for Flist Home in the next seasons.”

When the vagueness is given in an office or a health care clinic, most insurance plans – including Medicare and Medicaid – will cover it.

Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director of the prevention of infections at the Yale School of Medicine, the concerns cannot properly administer the vaccine in nasal spray without monitoring of the doctor.

“And if they have a flowing nose?” How far do they need to spray in the nose? What if they stored it incorrectly in their house? ” Roberts asked.

Dr. Kristina Bryant, pediatric doctor on infectious diseases at Norton Children’s in Louisville, Kentucky, and member of the American pediatrics on infectious diseases, said everyone is that all available flu vaccines offer comparable protection.

“The most important thing to know is that vaccines only work if they are actually administered,” said Bryant. “Hopefully the availability of a vaccine that can be administered at home will allow some people to protect against flu.”