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Dr. Anne Furey Schultz examined a patient who was experiencing flu-like symptoms at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Because the vaccine is grown in chicken eggs, manufacturers recommend that the roughly 2 percent of all children who have egg allergies not get them.
But flu hospitalizes 21,000 young children a year, said Dr. James L. Sublett, chair of the public relations committee of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Because only trace amounts of egg protein remain in the vaccine, “we now know administration is safe,” he said. “'The benefits of the flu vaccination far outweigh the risks.”
Even children who have gone into anaphylactic shock from eating eggs should get flu shots, but from an allergist trained to handle emergencies, the association recommended.
The rival American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology says on its Web site that children whose only reaction to eating eggs is hives can have flu shots in a pediatrician’s office with a 30-minute observation period afterward, while children with more serious reactions like breathing difficulty or lightheadness should get them from an allergist, again with an observation period.
Thomas Skinner, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said his agency’s position was that people who have had a reaction to eggs should consult a doctor to discuss how severe it was and the benefits of vaccination.
About 70 percent of all children allergic to eggs outgrow the allergy by age 16, Dr. Sublett said.
Flu Vaccine Safe for Children Allergic to Eggs, Doctors Say
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Flu Vaccine Safe for Children Allergic to Eggs, Doctors Say
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Flu Vaccine Safe for Children Allergic to Eggs, Doctors Say
