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WASHINGTON, Jun 18, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved FluMist, the first nasally administered influenza vaccine marketed in the United States.
It's the first live virus influenza vaccine approved in the United States.
FluMist is approved to prevent influenza A and B viruses in healthy children and adults from ages 5 to 49.
Children 5-8 years old need two doses at least 6 weeks apart in their first year of vaccination; everyone else is protected with one dose, the FDA said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta flu is responsible for an average 36,000 deaths a year in the United States.
Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
