The family and carers of people with CF are also advised to have the flu vaccination, in order to further reduce the risk of the person with CF catching flu. The flu vaccination can either be given as an injection (which delivers an inactivated form of the virus) or a nasal spray (which delivers a weakened or ‘live attenuated’ version of the virus).
The nasal spray is available for children with CF aged 2-17 years and is also available for children who do not have CF from age 2 up to school year 5. The nasal spray vaccination is not recommended for children that are unwell with a fever or wheeze, those with egg allergy or anyone who is immunocompromised. Importantly, CF does not cause immunocompromise and the nasal flu vaccination is considered safe to be given to people with CF. Exceptions would be in people with CF who have had an organ transplant or are undergoing chemotherapy. We would also generally suggest avoiding having a vaccination while you are having antibiotics for a pulmonary exacerbation.
We have been made aware that there is concerns about the safety of the nasal flu vaccination amongst people with CF who are parents of young children. In this situation, we would like to reassure you that having CF does not increase the risk of catching flu from your child and that you should proceed with getting your children vaccinated. We would also obviously urge you to get your own flu vaccination and for other members of your family to get vaccinated.
Please let us know if you have any questions about this topic and I hope that none of you get flu this year..
Dr Edward Nash