ATLANTA — The live, attenuated influenza virus vaccine can be used in children 2–5 years of age with no wheezing in the past 12 months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended at their fall meeting.
LAIV vaccine, manufactured as FluMist by MedImmune Inc., should not be administered to individuals with asthma or to children younger than age 5 with recurrent wheezing, ACIP said.
Acknowledging the difficulty in identifying recurrent wheezing in young children, the committee suggested physicians ask parents of 2- to 5-year-olds (children aged 24–59 months) the following question before administering FluMist: “In the past 12 months, has a health care provider ever told you that your child had wheezing or asthma?” The vaccine is not recommended for children whose parents answer yes to the question or for those with wheezing noted in their chart within the past year.
For healthy 2- to 49-year-olds, either trivalent inactivated virus (TIV) vaccine or LAIV vaccine can be used for flu immunization.
The Food and Drug Administration approved FluMist for children aged 24 months up to 59 months, on Sept. 19, 2007.
Dr. Joseph Bocchini of Louisiana State University, Shreveport, the American Academy of Pediatrics liaison at the meeting, said the approval “expands our ability to provide vaccine to 2- to 5-year-olds” and provided a choice of which vaccine to give.