Revisiting the Safety of Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine and Childhood Asthma

Since its introduction in 2003, live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) has offered an alternative mode of seasonal influenza immunization among those aged 2–50 years; however, as initial trials demonstrated an increase in wheezing in children with asthma following receipt of LAIV, the vaccine was not recommended for them (or for younger children with history of wheezing illnesses). Now, a trial involving 151 children (age range, 5–17 years) with persistent asthma revisits the safety of LAIV.

Participants were randomized to receive quadrivalent LAIV (LAIV4) or inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (IIV4), then were followed for the next 42 days for asthma exacerbations, unscheduled albuterol use, decreases in peak expiratory flow rate,…