Flu season can start as early as October, and children with egg allergies are now encouraged to get a flu shot, especially if they have asthma, according to a
news release from the
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Children with egg allergies may have been told in the past to not get a flu shot because of a possible reaction to trace amounts of eggs in which the vaccine is produced, but recent research now says that the vaccine is safe for these kids.
“We now know administration is safe, and children with egg allergies should be vaccinated,” Michael Foggs, president of the
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, said in the news release. “We recommend that, as with any vaccine, all personnel and facilities administering flu shots have procedures in place for the rare instance of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.”
The release says "a large number of research studies published over the last several years have shown that thousands of egg-allergic children, including those with a severe life-threatening reaction to eating eggs, have received injectable influenza vaccine as a single dose without a reaction."
More than 21,100 children under the age of five are hospitalized annually because of the flu, with only 55 percent of children ages 5-17 getting a flu shot, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says the release.
Foggs especially recommended that children with asthma get the vaccine, because even though they are not more likely to get the flu, it can be more serious for those with asthma, says the release.
"Children with asthma really need to get the flu vaccine," Foggs said in the release. “Asthma sufferers are among the most vulnerable because the flu compromises their airways even further than they already are.”