Nose Spray Vaccine Found to Protect Children Against Flu, Ear Infections

The first flu vaccine sprayed into the nose appears to protect many children from getting not only influenza but ear infections as well.

In a study of 1,602 youngsters 15 to 71 months old, the vaccine--consisting of two strains of attenuated live influenza virus--was 93% effective in preventing the flu, and it also reduced subsequent inner ear infections 30% compared to a dummy vaccine.

The vaccine, produced by Aviron in Mountain View, Calif., “is suitable for routine use in children,” the researchers conclude in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. They are expected to seek Food and Drug Administration approval later this year, with hopes of marketing the product by fall 1999.