The flu is officially surging this year and it’s hitting the U.S. pretty hard. It has been responsible for several pediatric deaths and numerous hospitalizations.1 As a result, doctors and health officials are taking it seriously and are encouraging families to take steps to protect themselves. Such steps include: frequent hand-washing, disinfecting commonly touched surfaces, steering clear of people with symptoms of the flu (or other illnesses), wearing masks (if desired), and getting the flu vaccine.
Tell Me More About This Year’s Flu Vaccine…
One of the best ways to help prevent your child from getting a severe case of the flu is with the flu vaccine. There are actually 2 forms of the flu vaccine: the shot and the intranasal vaccine (aka FluMist).
Here’s a Bit More About Both:
1. The Shot: The flu shot is a “dead” (read: inactivated) vaccine. It’s given to children 6 months & older. The flu shot is injected into the muscle, so the injection site might be sore for a few days after the shot is given.
Insider Info: All kids 8 years & under who get the flu shot for the first time should get the initial shot PLUS a booster shot 4 weeks later. After that, kids just need one flu vaccine every flu season.
2. The Intranasal Flu Vaccine (FluMist): The intranasal flu vaccine is a “live” vaccine that’s sprayed up the nose. “Live” vaccines contain a weakened (fancy name: attenuated) form of the virus. FluMist is approved for kids 2 years & older. It was taken off the market for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 flu seasons because experts didn’t think it was as effective as the shot. However, a new and improved version was introduced during the 2018-2019 flu season, and it’s still going strong.
As you can imagine, the intranasal flu vaccine tends to be an easier sell than the flu shot. Unfortunately, its efficacy is up & down, so many doctors prefer the shot (even though the CDC says either is OK).
Certain populations aren’t eligible for FluMist and should get the flu shot instead. Examples include (but aren’t limited to):
- Pregnant people
- Kids under 2 years
- Kids over 2 years with:
- Chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
- A weakened immune system
- Kids 2-4 years with a history of recurrent wheezing during the past 12 months.
Why? Because the intranasal vaccine has been known to trigger asthma attacks in these children.
- Kids 2-17 years who are taking aspirin or other salicylate-containing medications.
What About Kids With an Egg Allergy – Can They Get the Flu Vaccine (in Either Form)??
The Short Answer: Yes!
The Longer Answer:
Back in the day, children with egg allergies were advised not to receive the flu vaccine in any form. This was because most flu vaccines are grown using eggs (who knew?!). However, this recommendation has since fallen by the wayside. Today, children with egg allergies can receive either the flu shot or FluMist (with precautions for some).
What Precautions are You Talking About?
If the child has a mild egg allergy, they can get the flu vaccine without any precautions. However, if they have a severe egg allergy, they should receive the flu vaccine in a medical setting just in case they have a reaction to it.
The Bottom Line:
Ask the pediatrician which flu vaccine is best for your child based on their age and medical history.
Bonus Info
Are There Any New Developments With the Flu Vaccine This Year?
Yes! So glad you asked. There are actually 2 major developments with the flu vaccine this year. They are:
#1: The Flu Vaccine Has Gone “Trivalent.”
Both the flu shot and FluMist are “trivalent” this year (instead of “quadrivalent”).
What Does That Mean?
It means they’re formulated to protect against three different influenza viruses (instead of four). This year the 3-component vaccines protect against:
- Influenza A (H1N1) virus
- Influenza A (H3N2) virus
- Influenza B/Victoria Lineage virus.
Blast From the Past:
In the Past, the Flu Vaccines Were “Quadrivalent” and Protected Against the Influenza B/Yamagata Lineage, As Well. The Influenza B/Yamagata Lineage Virus Hasn’t Been in Global Circulation Since March 2020, However, So It’s Been Excluded for This Year.
Note: This won’t have any impact on your child receiving the flu vaccine. It’s just a fun fact that you can whip out at a dinner party when you’re running out of conversation…
And Now for the Second Major Development This Year…
#2: The FDA Recently Approved an At-Home Version of FluMist (in September 2024), But It Probably Won’t Be Available Until Next Flu Season – 2025-2026.2
This makes FluMist the first flu vaccine that can be self-administered at home. This major breakthrough is expected to make the flu vaccine more accessible and convenient for users. Stay tuned for more updates on this topic as they become available…
Two Common Parent Concerns About the Flu Vaccine…
The Flu Vaccine Tends to Get a Bad Rap Because It Doesn’t Work As Well As Other Vaccines and There’s a Misconception That It Can “Give You the Flu.” Let’s Address These 2 Concerns, Below.
Concern #1: The Flu Vaccine Does Not Provide 100% Coverage.
This one is, unfortunately, true.
Why? Because the virus is always mutating, making it hard to accurately predict what it’s going to look like each flu season. To combat this, the flu vaccine is updated annually. Each year, experts try to predict which strains of the flu virus should be covered by the flu vaccine in the U.S.
How Do They Do This? By analyzing what happens during the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere (think: South America and Australia), which occurs before our flu season.
Despite these efforts, the flu vaccine’s efficacy typically hovers around 40-60%.3
Insider Info: While the exact effectiveness of the 2024-2025 vaccine won’t be known until flu season is over, preliminary data from the Southern Hemisphere—which often provides insights into the Northern Hemisphere’s flu season—suggests the current vaccine reduces the risk of flu-related hospitalizations by approximately 35%.
That is Pretty Low. Is it Still Worth Getting?
Yes. This is an example of controlling what we can. Although the flu vaccine isn’t perfect, it still works a little less than half of the time. It also tends to lead to milder cases of the flu in those who get infected. Moreover, babies (and the elderly) have the highest risk of getting really sick from the flu, so it’s worth doing what we can to protect our little ones from the flu even if the flu vaccine isn’t a sure thing.
Concern #2: The Flu Vaccine Gives You the Flu.
The flu shot (unlike the intranasal vaccine) is a “dead” vaccine, meaning that it can’t “give you” the flu. Still, most doctors have heard stories of patients who “got the flu” after receiving their flu shot. What’s probably happening here is that these patients either developed side effects of the flu vaccine OR coincidentally got the flu (or another illness like the flu) around the same time they received their flu shot.
The main side effect of the flu shot is that it can produce soreness at the injection site for a few days. Other potential side effects of the flu vaccine include muscle aches, a headache, a fever, nausea, and fatigue. Although these symptoms sound kind of “flu-like,” they’re milder than real flu symptoms and resolve fairly quickly.
Insider Info: Unlike the flu shot, the “intranasal” flu vaccine (the one that’s sprayed up the nose) is a “live” vaccine. Because of this, it could conceivably produce mild flu symptoms. This is unlikely, though, given that the vaccine contains a weakened form of the virus.
The Bottom Line
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (the AAP) recommend that you get the flu vaccine for yourself, your child(ren), your partner, and all other caregivers. It’s worth it, even if it doesn’t work perfectly.
Want to know more about the flu? Check out our Hot Topic Article, The Top 10 Questions Parents Ask About the Flu Vaccine (Which Comes With Our Baby and Toddler PediaGuides).
