Flu Vaccine Safe For Kids With Severe Egg Allergy

Flu Vaccine Safe For Kids With Severe Egg Allergy
Seasonal influenza vaccines appeared safe in children with the most severe allergies to egg protein, according to a trial reported here. Among 28 children with proven egg allergies, many of whom had previously experienced anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) after eating egg products, none developed serious reactions after vaccination with either single or split doses of a trivalent flu vaccine, said Matthew Greenhawt, MD, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Similar results were seen in a review of 32 children with documented egg allergies who received seasonal flu vaccines at the study sites during routine practice, Greenhawt told attendees at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology annual meeting. Until this year, a history of egg allergy was considered a contraindication to flu vaccines, which are generated in chicken eggs and contain small residual quantities of ovalbumin. In June, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to drop the limitation, after reviewing data from clinical trials that had included children with egg allergies. In the 17 published studies on the topic, none of the more than 2,600 patients with confirmed egg allergy had a serious reaction to influenza vaccination. That included about 200 patients with severe egg allergy. Only a small percentage of patients had mild reactions, such as hives or wheezing. John Oppenheimer, MD, who is in private practice in Summit, N.J., commented that previous studies had already persuaded most allergists that egg sensitivity is no longer a serious concern with flu vaccines. 

Source: MedPage Today