Should You Get a Flu Shot?
It's that time of year again, and if you're newly dealing with an egg allergy -- or if you're an adult with an egg allergy who's newly in a high-risk category, by virtue of having an infant in your family, being diagnosed with asthma, or being a caregiver to someone who's chronically ill -- then this may be your first time deciding whether the risks of a flu shot outweigh the benefits. The short answer is . . . that there's no pat answer.
Like the MMR vaccine, the flu vaccine is cultured in eggs; however, the flu vaccine poses a far greater risk of reactions. Doctors differ as to how they prefer to handle the flu vaccine, with some preferring to make the decision on a patient-by-patient basis (depending on how severe the patient's reactions have been in the past), some hewing to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology recommendations to skin-test the flu vaccine on people with egg allergies, and some choosing to avoid the known risk of a reaction by having close contacts of the allergic person be vaccinated and by having the allergic patient be tested and treated with antivirals at the first sign of flu.
While you ultimately make the final decision as to whether you or your child get vaccinated, your allergist is the ideal person to walk you through the risks and benefits of flu vaccination to you: she knows your medical history and can help you weigh the chances of a reaction against the chances of serious complications from influenza.
More resources about allergies and flu season:
- Egg Allergies and Vaccines
- Check My Tag: Egg Allergy and Flu Shot
- About.com Cold and Flu: Does My Child Really Need a Flu Shot?
Comments
Not entirely related to the flu shot, but my daughter may have to be sedated for a dental procedure – they give a sedative before they insert the IV. They give the sedative nasally and apparently if your child has an egg allergy they are not a candidate for it. Something to think about (and ask about!) if you have an egg allergy and are getting a sedative like this.
Eggs are the only thing to worry about with flu shots. Mercury is in them and you can learn more by reading http://www.newrinkles.com/index.php/archive/mercury-is-toxic-toxic-toxic/
The one season I had a flu shot I later had flu so badly I was off work for two weeks. Never again.
My child has a very severe allergy to eggs. Scratch testig for the vaccine was negative, but she had a very severe allergy to one drop of the flu vaccine injected under the skin (in an allergist’s office). She was nearly hospitalized. The allergist said she would not be able to receive the flu shot for at least a few years.
I am absolutely petrified about H1N1!