The needle-free flu vaccine for children is set to become more widely available

Luxembourg has introduced a new general recommendation on flu vaccination for children aged between 2 and 17. Unlike traditional injections, young patients are now offered a nasal spray called ‘Fluenz’.

As Dr Isabel De La Fuente from the capital’s paediatric clinic explains, apart from the obvious convenience, the key difference with the new vaccine is that it is a live vaccine. Consequently, it is contraindicated for children with severely compromised immune systems and severe egg allergies. Nevertheless, the vaccine is generally well tolerated, although, as with any vaccination, standard reactions such as muscle pain, a runny nose, a fever or tiredness may occur.

As with the usual flu jabs, the nasal spray is provided free of charge. The vaccine is available from paediatricians and at children’s clinics, and is also available on prescription from pharmacies. However, unlike in Canada, where this vaccine is authorised for adults as well, its use in the Grand Duchy is strictly limited to children.

The decision by Luxembourg’s Higher Council for Infectious Diseases followed similar measures in France and the UK, where health authorities have long recommended vaccinating all children, not just those in high-risk groups. Statistics show that the capital’s children’s hospital records between 70 and 120 hospitalisations linked to the virus each year. The initiative is therefore aimed not only at protecting children from severe cases of the disease – which, in rare instances, can prove fatal – but also at preventing the spread of the virus within the wider community.