( omparison of the Efficacy and Safety of...)Research Results on FluMist Presented at National Association of,Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Conference,Health

School-Based Vaccination with FluMist Lowers Rates of Flu Among School Children and Families

A study of more than 15,000 schoolchildren in four states conducted during the 2004-2005 influenza season found that school-based influenza vaccination programs may represent an effective and feasible strategy to help lessen the impact of seasonal influenza on households and communities. The study, which used FluMist and involved 28 schools in Maryland, Texas, Minnesota and Washington, was led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and supported by a grant from MedImmune, Inc., and was published in the December 14, 2006 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Investigators found in intervention-school households compared to control schools:

-- A 23 percent relative reduction in influenza-like illness among
children

-- A 27 percent relative reduction in influenza-like illness among adults

-- A 38 percent relative reduction in the use of prescription drugs to
treat flu-like illness and 31 percent relative reduction in the use of
over-the-counter medication during the peak flu week

County-wide Mass Influenza Vaccination Program Found Feasible and Effective: The Carroll County (Maryland) Experience

In the fall of 2005, the Carroll County Health Department and Public School System in Carroll County, Maryland conducted a public health initiative to provide influenza vaccine to eligible students and staff in all of the county's 22 public elementary schools using FluMist. Volunteers were recruited from the State Emergency Preparedness and Response Team, local health departments, medical centers,
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