Flu vaccine is safe for children with egg allergies, a team of Canadian researchers, gathering more proof say.
Nearly 1.6 percent of children in the country are affected with egg allergy, according to an estimate from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI).
The safety of flu vaccine, often containing egg protein, has been a concern among the parents of children with egg allergies. However, according to health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is mandatory for children as young as six months to get a flu vaccine as a protection against the deadly disease.
For analyzing the safety of the flu vaccine, researchers included 367 egg-allergic people, including children. All the participants of the study were anaphylaxis (experiencing trouble breathing or low blood pressure after eating eggs).
However, none of the participants reported experiencing any serious side effects after receiving flu shots for five years. Only a minority (13 of 367) reported experiencing some allergy symptoms like itchy skin and hives.
The current study reassured the safety of using the vaccine for children allergic to eggs.
"The risk of anaphylaxis appears sufficiently low for patients with egg allergy to be vaccinated like all other individuals, without requiring administration by an allergist," Reuters quoted lead researcher Anne Des Roches, of Hopital Sainte-Justine in Montreal, Canada and colleagues, as writing.
To re-confirm and add more proof, Des Roches and her team looked at 26 previous studies involving 4,000 egg-allergic people and found the findings showing the safety of flu vaccines.
"I think parents of children with egg allergy should be reassured about the safety of the influenza vaccine for their child, and understand that the benefits are likely to outweigh any risks," Lynda Schneider, director of the allergy program at Boston Children's Hospital, told Reuters Health.
Findings of the study have been published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
