(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has approved AstraZeneca's influenza nasal spray vaccine for self-administration, making it the first of its kind that patients can give themselves.

FluMist is the first vaccine to prevent influenza that does not need to be administered by a healthcare provider, the regulator said.

The flu is a common and contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses that typically circulates in the U.S. during the fall and winter.

Influenza, more commonly known as the flu, is a common and contagious respiratory disease caused by that typically circulates during the fall and winter in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu has resulted in approximately 9.3 million to 41 million illnesses, 100,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations, and 4,900 to 51,000 deaths annually between 2010 and 2023

(Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Tasim Zahid)