can u have the influenza immunisation if your allergic to egg?

Question

in australia theres a strain of influenza thats goin around thats pretty serious, even deadly
what age can the kids b vaccinated for it?
as i have an 8mth old baby
i also have a son who is allergic to egg and ive heard you cant b immunised against it if allergic to egg as the vaccine contains egg

please help, thanks

Answer 1

The vaccine itself does not contain eggs--it is grown in eggs, using the egg as a culture medium. The virus is then killed during the process of making it into a vaccine. Because of the fact that it is grown in eggs, it cannot be given to those who are allergic to eggs, as it can cause anaphylactic shock, which can kill. Accordingly, your son should not be vaccinated.

Your infant, if not allergic to eggs, can be vaccinated. I had my flu shot last fall (I have to have them because I had my heart repaired). They gave me a fact sheet on the vaccine when I had it done, and it said that it is actually recommended that all children between 6 months and 5 years of age be vaccinated, as they are among the hardest hit by influenza. When given to children, they give a series of two shots, separated by a month. That is because a child's immune system is usually not as well-developed as that of an adult.

There is experimentation going on right now with growing the virus for the vaccine in other tissue (kidney tissue, I believe), but that is still in the testing stages, and no vaccine is available yet from that source. If it becomes available, your son will be able to have that type of vaccine. You may want to talk to your pediatrician about what other types of preventative measures you can take to help protect him. I know there are other types of vaccinations which help boost the body's immune system, and something along those lines may be available and appropriate for him. For example, you may be able to have him vaccinated with Pneumovax, which helps prevent pneumonia, as that is one of the frequent complications of influenza, and one which is particularly dangerous. If I am not mistaken, Pneumovax is not grown in eggs, so it is safe for those allergic to them--talk to the doc, as he or she will know.

I hope that helps explain it a bit better for you.

(Oh, by the way, even if your son is allergic to eggs, having everyone else in the family vaccinated for influenza may be helpful--it will keep him from being exposed to it at home, because no one will be getting sick--you may also want to talk to his school and find out if it would be best to keep him home when it is particularly bad, as kids have a way of spreading and sharing germs which is simply amazing and kind of frightening.)

Answer 2

If you have an allergy to eggs, you cannot get a flu shot, because you can also have a reaction to the flu vaccine. (the flu vaccine is made with egg products in it)

You can get a flu shot if you are over 6 months old.

Please see the links below. The first is from the CDC (the US center for disease control and prevention) and has a lot of useful information on the flu shot. The second is from australia.

Answer 3

The virus is cultured on chorio allantoic membrane of chick embryo not on eggs. The vaccine contains almost no egg contents. It can be administered to those who are allergic to egg.

Answer 4

You shouldn't. As for your baby, call your doctor and ask if he can be immunized and be sure to tell him the child is allergic to eggs.

Answer 5

Ask the pharmacist first. I'm in Australia too and there's a nasty strain in QLD.