I am often asked whether to get the flu vaccine. My answer has always been ABSOLUTELY!
2018 flu season seems to be a bad one: sadly 37 children died so far and almost 12,000 people have been hospitalized. This is because of this season’s predominantly bad strain H3N2, which causes the worst outbreaks.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu vaccine is the first and most important step to protect yourself against the flu virus. Pregnant women, young children, adults 65 years and older and people with chronic medical conditions (heart and lung disease, asthma and diabetes) are the most vulnerable. Since children younger than 6 months cannot yet be vaccinated with the flu vaccine, it is important that parents and caregivers get vaccinated.
Previously, people with egg-allergy were told to avoid the vaccine. The vaccine is produced in embryonated chicken eggs and the concern was that residual egg product might be in the vaccine.
However, many studies have shown that it is safe. An updated practice parameter recommend that flu vaccine should be administered regardless of the severity of the egg allergy and that there is no need to ask patients about egg-allergy status and no special precautions needed beyond general precautions of vaccine administration. The CDC still recommends that patients with severe egg-allergy receive the vaccine in either an inpatient or outpatient medical facility under the supervision of a health care provider.
The only contraindication to the flu vaccine is a previously severe reaction to the vaccine itself.
Bottom line: if you are allergic to eggs, regardless of the severity of your allergy, you should get vaccinated.
Citation: Greenhawt M et al. Administration of influenza vaccines to egg allergic recipients: A practice parameter update 2017: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2018 Jan; 120:49.
