Pediatricians: FluMist Should Not Be Used In Any Setting For Kids This Year
Doctors are warning that the shot is the only way to go for the flu vaccine this season, after scientists found FluMist is only 3 percent effective in children aged 2 through 17.
Los Angeles Times:
Sorry, Kids, Your Pediatrician Wants You To Get A Flu Shot This Year
Sorry, little one, this news is going to pinch for a couple of seconds: This year’s flu vaccine will probably have to come in the form of a shot, not those two little puffs up the nose. Because when it comes to preventing the misery of the flu, that nasal spray vaccine has proved to be a bit of a flop. No, the adults don’t really know why. But when they went back over the past three flu seasons and did the math, they found that kids between 2 and 17 who got the vaccine made with live attenuated virus — the puff up the nose — were two-and-a half times more likely than children who got the shot (which uses an inactivated virus to teach the immune system) to get sick with the flu. (Healy, 9/6)
In other public health news —
Capital Public Radio:
Bill Would Protect Nail Salon Workers And Customers From Chemical Exposure
Lawmakers want to protect the health of manicurists and their customers through a new bill that encourages nail salon workers to use less toxic products and practices. The Nail Salon Recognition Program would allow salons that use less toxic products and practices to be designated a healthy nail salon to consumers. (Johnson, 9/6)