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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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The nasal-spray is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant. The term FluMist is used for the seasonal flu nasal spray vaccine. The H1N1 nasal-spray vaccine had essentially the same indications for vaccination and precautions as the seasonal nasal-spray vaccine. According to the CDC, the following people should not get the nasal-spray vaccine:

• People less than 2 years of age
• People 50 years of age and over
• People with a medical condition that places them at high risk for complications from influenza, including those with chronic heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airways disease; people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; or people with illnesses that weaken the immune system or who take medications that can weaken the immune system
• Children <5 years of age with a history of recurrent wheezing
• Children or adolescents receiving aspirin therapy
• People with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome that occurred after receiving influenza vaccine
• Pregnant women
• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs or who are allergic to any of the nasal-spray-vaccine components

In addition, the package insert states that people allergic to gentamycin, arginine, or gelatin should not use the nasal spray.

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