 isn’t recommending the nasal flu vaccine, after the CDC discovered it doesn’t protect against some of the most prominent flu strains.){kind=link}
Photo courtesy: flumistquadrivalent.com
Every year, your child’s pediatrician recommends getting a flu shot. For kids who dislike shots, the needle-free FluMist was a great alternative…for awhile. But a recent study conducted by the CDC has proven the mist is ineffective. The result: The mist will no longer be recommended by the AAP. “For the 2016-2017 season, the CDC recommends use of injectable flu vaccines… The nasal spray flu vaccine should not be used during 2016-2017,” according to cdc.gov.
Flu vaccinations are recommended for everyone ages six months and older, with rare exception,” according to the CDC. It’s no secret that children (and even some adults!) have a fear of needles. Here are some quick and easy tips from Dr. Melissa Winterhalter, a pediatrician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio to help kids get through their shots this flu season:
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Infants respond well to swaddling, pacifiers and breastfeeding for pain control.
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Younger children (2-6 years old) respond well to distractions like videos, music, singing and special positioning, opportunities for choice and control such as to watch or not watch, picking which arm is used, and having a role like holding the bandage.
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Older children (6 years and older) respond well to relaxation such as deep breathing, praise, and guided imagery, like imagining and talking about a favorite place.
Although the CDC is advising against the flumist this season, some doctors may still offer it. If this is the case, it is important to know that “the mist’s effectiveness among kids ages 2-17 was just 3 percent , while the injected vaccine had a 63 percent effectiveness rate,” says Shannon McCormick.
Stay healthy and make sure you get your flu shot this season!