Flu nasal spray vaccine hard to find outside Vancouver clinics

The flu season is off to an early start, andso is the rush to Vancouver-area pharmacies and clinics for the vaccine.

Vancouver Coastal Health said it has already distributed 440,000 doses of flu vaccine, which is already more than what was distributed throughout all of last season.

And while doses of the regular injection flu vaccine are widely available, parents seeking to have their children vaccinated withthe nasal spray may be disappointed to find it in short supply.

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Public health clinics do have the nasal mist vaccinein stock, and, VCH guidelines state, it is available free of charge for children and youth aged two to 17 years old.

Nasal spray flu vaccinein demand

GianniDel Negro apharmacy manager with London Drugs, said that,just like last year, thereis a real demand from parents who want to buy the spray vaccine for theirchildren.

"Some parents are a little concerned about injections for their kids and would like to use the FluMist, butunfortunately we haven't been able to access any.

"The wholesalerhaven't been ableto provide us any. They just don't have any stock," he said. "I'm not sure why that is."

Wholesalers found it hard to meetB.C.'s demand for nasal spray fluvaccine last year, when the province ordered80,000 doses, but this year the season is already different.

Dr. Meena Dawar, a medical health officer withVancouver Coastal Health, said that last year'sflu season peaked late, creating a rush onvaccinations in January and February.She said it'sstill too early to tell how severe this year's flu season will be, but the signs so far are not good.

"This season has been intriguing because we've had slightly moreH3N2activitythis is the virus that causes severe illness in seniors.There have been a number of outbreaks, influenza outbreaks, in our long-term care facilities in Vancouver Coastal Health. So it's a bit of an early season," she said.