Officials Say FluMist May Work Better For Oklahoma Children

The flu is going around Oklahoma, and two children – both less than five years old – are the first to test positive for the virus in the state. One of the children is in Oklahoma County, and the other is in Tulsa County.

It's typical this time of for people to get flu shots, but for the first time government health officials say needle-free vaccines are more effective than a shot in the arm for some.

10/23/2014 Related Story: First Cases of Flu Confirmed In Children In Tulsa And Oklahoma Counties

"October and November are our peak months, when we see a lot of people come in, right when we start offering the shots," said Epidemiologist Coordinator, Joani Dotson.

She said anyone six months and older can get a flu vaccine at the Tulsa Health Department. She also said the youngest and the oldest are most at risk.

"Young children and people over the age of 65 are more susceptible to the flu,” Dotson said.

The health department offers a quadrivalent vaccine, which protects against four flu strains rather than the usual three in a trivalent vaccine.

Instead of the traditional shot, parents might now want to consider a nasal spray vaccine for kids.

"There's some research out there that suggests the FluMist for children is better. Depending on the age of the person receiving the vaccine, and if they have insurance that will help determine what vaccine options they have,” said Dotson.

Government health officials now say children, two to eight years old, should get the needle-free vaccine, FluMist, which studies say is more effective in children than a flu shot.

FluMist is made with a weakened version of the live virus and protects against four flu strains.

An advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control said all of this, but the C.D.C. has not yet made it official policy.

Dotson said any flu vaccine should work.

"The point is to get your vaccination for the flu this year," she said.

Children under age nine need two doses of the flu vaccine, the second about a month after the first vaccine.