FRIDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with egg allergy face no increased danger from receiving injectable inactivated influenza vaccine as a single dose, according to a letter published in the October issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Consistent with new recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, John M. Kelso, M.D., from Scripps Clinic in San Diego, and colleagues have updated the influenza vaccine recommendations for patients with egg allergy.
According to the update, egg allergic patients should receive a single dose of injectable inactivated influenza vaccine, without prior vaccine skin testing, and be observed for 30 minutes after vaccine administration. The vaccine can be administered in a primary care setting for those individuals who react to ingestion of eggs with hives only, whereas the vaccine should be administered in an allergist's office if the reaction is expected to be more severe.
"The benefits of flu vaccination far outweigh any risk," Kelso said in a statement. "As with any vaccine, all personnel and facilities administering flu shots should have procedures in place for the rare instance of anaphylaxis, a severe life-threatening allergic reaction."
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