April 2007
Live intranasal influenza vaccine (LAIV)
When should my child not get live, attenuated (weakened) influenza vaccine? Your child should not get LAIV if she has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to:
When should my child wait to get LAIV? If your child is moderately or severely ill at the time the shot is scheduled, she should usually wait until she is well
before getting LAIV. Check with your child's doctor to see whether she should wait.
Tell your child's doctor if the child has any of the following conditions. The doctor may recommend that the child wait or not receive LAIV. Ask your doctor for more information if your child:
What are the side effects from LAIV and what should I do if they occur? A vaccine, like any medication, may cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. However, the risk of a vaccine
causing serious harm is extremely small. Live influenza vaccine viruses rarely spread from person to person, and if they do,
they are not likely to cause illness. LAIV is made from weakened virus and does not cause influenza (flu). LAIV can cause
other side effects. Call your child's doctor if she has any unusual problems after receiving this vaccine.
- A previous dose of influenza vaccine
- Eggs or egg products
Tell your child's doctor if the child has any of the following conditions. The doctor may recommend that the child wait or not receive LAIV. Ask your doctor for more information if your child:
- Has HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system
- Is being treated with medications that affect the immune system, such as steroids, for two weeks or longer
- Has any type of cancer
- Is receiving cancer treatment with X-rays or medications
- Has had Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS, a condition of paralysis and loss of reflexes)
- Has heart, lung, or kidney disease
- Has asthma, diabetes, anemia, or other blood diseases
- Is being treated with any nasal (in the nose) medications, aspirin or aspirin-containing products, or any antiviral medications
to treat the flu
- Comes in close contact (in the same household) with anyone who has a weakened immune system
- Has had reaction to any vaccine
| Side Effects (Mild) | What should I do? |
|---|---|
| Fever | Give acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) as directed by your child’s doctor |
| Headache, muscle aches, chills | Give acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) as directed by your child’s doctor |
| Stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea | Call your child’s doctor if the symptoms gets worse or do not go away |
| Runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, or cough | Call your child’s doctor if the symptoms gets worse or do not go away |
| Irritability, decreased activity, tiredness, or weakness | Call your child’s doctor if the symptoms gets worse or do not go away |
| Side Effects (Moderate or Severe) | What should I do? |
| Unusual changes in behavior | Call your child’s doctor |
| Serious allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; hoarseness or wheezing; rash; itching; hives; swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, or feet; paleness; weakness; fast heartbeat; or dizziness within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot) | Get emergency medical care for your child right away |
| High fever | Call your child’s doctor right away |
