Although studies have indicated the safety of the use of FluMist, nasal influenza vaccine for children and adolescents, questions regarding the risk of reactive airway disease among children under the age of three still exists. Research suggested that certain children who received the FluMist vaccine had an increased risk for medical asthma-related visits within six weeks after the vaccine was administered as compared to controls. However, it was found that children who already had asthma before they received the vaccination, on the whole, had decreased their risk of asthma compared to the control group.

Experts noted that these findings were the result of conclusions following a trial of the nasal flu vaccine in children that fell in the 1- to 17-year-old age groups. In these studies, the children received at least one dose of vaccine or placebo and the children 8 years or younger were given a second dose 28 to 42 days later.

Based on the evaluation of 9,689 children, there appeared to be no definitive link between the vaccination and acute respiratory tract infections, systemic bacterial infections, acute GI complaints and others possibly associated with the flu. There was a four-fold increased risk of reactive airway disease among children aged 18 to 35 months.

It was concluded that if this increased risk of reactive airway disease was confirmed in another study, it would be a possibility the children had never been exposed to a flu virus and might react differently to the vaccine.

Reuters March 24, 2004