Injectable and Intranasal Influenza Vaccines: Indications and Contraindications

Vaccination groups for influenza vaccine and whether than can receive injectable or intranasal vaccine.

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Vaccination Groups for Influenza Vaccine Can person receive injectable influenza vaccine? Can person receive live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV)?
Children age 6 months to 2 years Yes No
Healthy children 2 through 18 years Yes Yes
Persons 50 years and older Yes No
Persons 2 through 49 with underlying health conditions including chronic pulmonary (including asthma or children under age 5 with one or more wheezing episode in the past year), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, cognitive, neurologic/neuromuscular, hematologic, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus) or immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus), or children under 18 on long term aspirin therapy. Yes No
Healthy household contacts or caregivers of infants under 6 months old Yes Yes
Healthy health care workers 19 and older Yes Yes through age 49 years
Pregnant women Yes No
Breastfeeding women Yes Yes
Household contacts of persons with underlying health conditions including immunodeficiency Yes Yes through age 49 years
Contacts, family or health care workers, of patients hospitalized and in protective isolation, i.e., bone marrow transplant Yes Generally no, however, if a contact receives LAIV, they should avoid contact with the patient in protective isolation for 7 days for theoretical purposes OR a mask should be worn for 7 days whenever the vaccinee is with the patient.
Other healthy adults age 19 and older Yes Yes through age 49 years
Allergy to eggs No No
History of Guillain-Barré Syndrome within 6 weeks of influenza vaccination No, weigh the risks and benefits No, weigh the risks and benefits
Moderately or severly ill Yes but defer until well Yes but defer until well
Mildly ill with cold Yes Yes, unless congestion is severe enough that spray cannot be delivered
Received live virus vaccine (i.e., MMR, varicella) within past 4 weeks Yes No, wait 4 weeks between doses

Received an antiviral within past 48 hours

 Yes No, wait the full 48 hours before vaccinating

 

 

Updated Monday, 20-Dec-2010 15:03:48 CST