Welcome to this UK AstraZeneca produced and funded website
This website is intended for UK Healthcare Professionals only.
The website contains both promotional and non-promotional content.
If you are a patient or a carer of a patient prescribed an AstraZeneca product, please visit myazmed.co.uk
For any other UK residents please visit astrazeneca.co.uk
This website is intended for UK Healthcare Professionals only. Other UK residents please visit astrazeneca.co.uk
The JCVI evaluated that LAIV, such as Fluenz, has several advantages over inactivated flu vaccine:4
In children, LAIV elicits strong mucosal IgA antibody production, increases systemic IgG antibodies and induces cross-reactive T cell-mediated cellular immunity. Scroll through the carousel below to see how each arm plays a distinct role in flu protection:6-10
Needle fear is a common barrier to vaccination that affects 5-13% of children, with 45% of 4 to 6-year-olds showing distress during routine injections. Fluenz is a nasal spray flu vaccine that provides flu protection without the need for injection.11-13
Watch the video below for guidance on how to administer the Fluenz nasal spray flu vaccine to children:
*Signs of a severe allergic reaction may include shortness of breath and swelling of the face or tongue
Adverse events for which the frequency is not known (cannot be estimated from available data) include: Guillain-Barré syndrome, exacerbation of symptoms of Leigh syndrome (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy).1 As with most vaccines, appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always be readily available to manage an anaphylactic event or serious hypersensitivity event following the administration of Fluenz. Additional safety information can be found in the Summary of Product Characteristics of Fluenz.
Scroll through the carousel below to learn more about the key ingredients in Fluenz and understand their role in delivering flu protection.
*Contraindicated for children with severe allergic reaction (e.g. anaphylaxis) to eggs or egg protein† and any of the excipients listed in the Summary of Product Characteristics1
† This is not a comprehensive list. For more detailed information on contraindications, warnings and precautions, and drug interactions, please refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics.
This section contains answers to some common questions that you may have.
You can also find additional information in the supportive resources section of the website.
Please refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics for full details on Fluenz nasal spray.
The most common adverse events, occurring in at least 1 in 10 recipients, are:
Other common adverse events, which occur in between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 recipients, are:
Uncommon adverse events, which occur in between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000 recipients, are:
Adverse events for which the frequency is not known (cannot be estimated from available data) include:
Guillain-Barré syndrome, exacerbation of symptoms of Leigh syndrome (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy).1 As with most vaccines, appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always be readily available to manage an anaphylactic event or serious hypersensitivity event following the administration of Fluenz.Additional safety information can be found in the Summary of Product Characteristics of Fluenz.
Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. Adverse events should also be reported to AstraZeneca by visiting https://contactazmedical.astrazeneca.com/ or by calling 0800 783 0033.
The cohort of children eligible for the free nasal spray flu vaccine is determined each year by the UK government and that of each devolved nation.
Contraindications for Fluenz are as follows:1
Other warnings and precautions for the use of Fluenz:1
Traceability
In order to improve the traceability of biological medicinal products, the name and the batch number of the administered product should be clearly recorded.
Hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis
As with most vaccines, appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always be readily available to manage an anaphylactic event or serious hypersensitivity event following the administration of Fluenz.
Concurrent illness and chronic conditions.
Fluenz should not be administered to children and adolescents with severe asthma or who are currently wheezing, because these individuals have not been adequately studied in clinical studies (see section 4.8 of SmPC).
Administration of Fluenz should be postponed in individuals suffering from severe acute febrile illness or acute infection. The presence of a minor infection and/or low-grade fever should not result in the deferral of vaccination.
Vaccination should also be postponed in individuals with nasal blockage, due to the potential for reduced vaccine uptake and the absence of efficacy data in this population. The presence of mild symptoms of a common cold without nasal blockage should not result in the deferral of vaccination.
Immunocompromised individuals
Vaccine recipients should be informed that Fluenz is an attenuated live virus vaccine and has the potential for transmission to immunocompromised contacts. Vaccine recipients should attempt to avoid, whenever possible, close association with severely immunocompromised individuals (e.g. bone marrow transplant recipients requiring isolation) for 1‑2 weeks following vaccination. Peak incidence of vaccine virus recovery occurred 2‑3 days post‑vaccination in clinical studies. In circumstances where contact with severely immunocompromised individuals is unavoidable, the potential risk of transmission of the influenza vaccine virus should be weighed against the risk of acquiring and transmitting wild‑type influenza virus. The effectiveness of Fluenz preventing influenza disease in immunocompromised individuals has not been evaluated (see section 4.8 of SmPC).
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Fluenz is not recommended during pregnancy. It should not be used during breast-feeding.
Fluenz should be kept in a refrigerator (2-8°C). Do not freeze.
For further information on storage and administration guidance, see the supportive resources page.
Children and adolescents from 2 years to <18 years of age
The recommended dose is 0.2 ml, administered as 0.1 ml in each nostril.For children 2 to 8 years of age who have not previously been vaccinated against seasonal influenza, a second dose should be given after an interval of at least 4 weeks.
Infants and toddlers <2 years of age
Fluenz should not be used in infants and toddlers below 2 years of age because of safety concerns regarding increased rates of hospitalisation and wheezing in this population (see section 4.8 of SmPC).
Fluenz must not be administered to children and adolescents receiving salicylate therapy (see section 4.3 of SmPC). Salicylates should not be used in children and adolescents for 4 weeks after vaccination unless medically indicated as Reye's syndrome has been reported following the use of salicylates during wild‑type influenza infection.
Fluenz can be administered concomitantly with the live attenuated vaccines: measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and orally-administered poliovirus.
The co-administration of Fluenz with inactivated vaccines has not been studied.
The concurrent use of Fluenz with antiviral agents that are active against influenza A and/or B viruses has not been evaluated. However, based upon the potential for influenza antiviral agents to reduce the effectiveness of Fluenz, it is recommended not to administer the vaccine until 48 hours after the cessation of influenza antiviral therapy. Administration of influenza antiviral agents within two weeks of vaccination may affect the response of the vaccine.
If influenza antiviral agents and Fluenz are administered concomitantly, revaccination should be considered based on clinical judgement.
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LAIV, live attenuated influenza vaccine; JCVI, Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation; IgG, immunoglobulin G; IgA, immunoglobulin A; AE, adverse event; UKHSA, UK Health Security Agency; DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; SmPC, summary of product characteristics.
GB-69532 | DOP: November 2025
Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. Adverse events should also be reported to AstraZeneca by visiting https://contactazmedical.astrazeneca.com/ or by calling 0800 783 0033.
This website was created for UK HCPs and has been designed to provide information to educate, empower and enable them in the great work they are doing for patients across a range of therapy areas. This website is intended for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in the UK. Other UK residents please visit astrazeneca.co.uk.
