
October 19, 2006
Other
Question from Keller,Texas, USA:
My daughter recently received the FluMist. Her pediatrician called today and told us that it was not approved for diabetics Her blood sugar has been very erratic since she received the Mist. Do you know anything about the impact of the Mist on blood sugar?
Answer:
The nasal-spray flu vaccine (FluMist) is approved for use only in healthy people between the ages of five and 49 years. The CDC suggests that anyone with a chronic illness that can affect the immune system, including diabetes in children, should preferentially receive the injected flu shot rather than the FluMist. I doubt that the FluMist is having any significant detrimental effect on your daughter’s blood sugars. She should also be well protected from influenza this season, even though she received the FluMist in error rather than the injection.
MSB