Nasal flu vaccine
Eric Hoskins, the province’s health minister, said Tuesday the flu vaccine in Ontario will be available to children by a needle or nasal mist spray. Hoskins, a physician, said the spray is easy for caregivers to administer, requiring them to simply squirt a dosage of the vaccine up each nostril.
Free to children, it’s available to those aged two to 17. Hoskins said the province is spending the extra money — a needle dosage is but $12, the nasal spray is $18 — in order to give kids, what will be for some, a more palatable option.
“The flu nasal spray is a good option for children who don’t like getting needles, and it provides broader protection,” he said. “We want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for parents to protect their kids.”
Flu protection
While the vaccine for adults, available only in needle form, protects against three strains of the flu, the one for children will protect against four. The extra protection for children is to prevent the B-strain of the flu, which typically is much harder on children than adults.
As the Toronto Star reported in a story from December of 2014, the most common form of the flu last season, the H3N2 influenza, mutated and the shot being given to fight it was ineffective, resulting in a bad flu season.
This year, officials believe, the vaccine should be more effective.
The more children vaccinated, Hoskins noted, the less flu will spread in the adult population. Other flu prevention strategies are to wash hands frequently and effectively, keep those hands away from your face and keep surfaces such as table tops clean. When sick you should stay home.
The vaccination in Ontario will be available beginning Oct. 26 and it lasts between six and 12 months.
