On Sept. 20, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved use of FluMist nasal-spray influenza vaccine in children age 2-4 years makes a needle-free influenza vaccine available for small children in the U.S. for the first time.

The FDA announced its approval of the nasal-spray vaccine, which contains a weakened form of live virus, yesterday. The vaccine, made by MedImmune, Gaithersburg, Md., was previously approved only for healthy people between the ages of 5 and 49.