NASAL MIST HOLDS PROMISE OF FLU FIGHT

Health officials are excited about a development on the horizon that could take the sting out of the yearly flu shots. A new nasal spray is being tested. Early results indicate that the spray is not only more effective, but it is much more palatable to children and adults who hate shots.

FluMist showed promising results in studies last winter, according to an expert at the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Each year, the CDC, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration choose three strains of the flu virus to include in the vaccine. But last year, a fourth strain moved quickly into the picture -- a strain for which the traditional flu shot didn't prove as effective. But that wasn't the case with the nasal flu spray. A study of 1,358 children last winter showed it was 86 percent protective -- even against the unexpected strain.

Health officials hope this new nasal flu vaccine will be available for the general public by next flu season. It could make yearly immunization a lot more appealing.