Story highlights The committee continues to advise that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated

All women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should get the flu shot, panel says

(CNN) Shots will continue to be the main option for the upcoming flu season. A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee recommended Wednesday that FluMist, the nasal spray influenza vaccine, not be used during the 2017-18 season.

Though it's popular among those who hate needles -- including most children -- last year's recommendation to exclude FluMist did not affect vaccine coverage numbers for the 2016-17 season compared with the 2015-16 season according to preliminary data presented to the committee. Overall, 58.2% of US children between the ages of 6 months and 17 years were vaccinated, compared with 59% the previous year.

The US Food and Drug Administration first approved the nasal spray, produced by MedImmune, a subsidiary of London-based AstraZeneca PLC, in 2003. By all accounts, it worked well in the early years. Last season, though, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided to not recommend the spray because of its poor performance compared with the flu shot.

At last year's meeting, MedImmune's Dr. Chris Ambrose shared results from the company's 2015-16 effectiveness study, which found the FluMist quadrivalent vaccine to be 46% effective, compared with the flu shot's 65% effectiveness.

In response to these findings, AstraZeneca initiated a scientific investigation to identify potential causes of lower effectiveness, explained Alexandra Engel, director of media relations for the company, in an email. She said discussions continue with the FDA, the CDC and the advisory committee with "a goal of a renewed recommendation" for use during the 2017-18 season.

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