What Can I Do if My Kids or I Are Allergic to Eggs?

For years, parents of children with egg allergies were told to avoid flu vaccines due to safety concerns. But recent research brings some reassuring news. Whether it’s an egg-free option or even traditional egg-based vaccines, safe choices now exist. Understanding these updates can help parents make confident, informed decisions about protecting their children during flu season.

Clearing Up the Confusion Around Egg Allergies and Flu Vaccines

Historically, flu vaccines grown in chicken eggs raised concerns for those with egg allergies. However, advancements in vaccine production now offer egg-free alternatives, and studies show that even egg-based vaccines are safe for people with egg allergies, regardless of severity. Consulting a healthcare provider can help families choose the most appropriate option while ensuring safe immunization.

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Can I Get a Flu Shot With an Egg Allergy?

Yes. Current research shows that even flu vaccines grown in eggs are safe for people with egg allergies, regardless of severity. There are also non-egg-based vaccines available, providing additional safe options for those with egg allergies.

Which Flu Vaccine Has No Egg Protein?

Non-egg-based flu vaccines are made using alternative methods that don’t involve chicken eggs, eliminating exposure to egg proteins. These vaccines are safe options for individuals with egg allergies.

Is It Really Necessary To Get a Flu Shot?

Flu vaccination plays a key role in protecting individuals and communities from seasonal influenza and future pandemics. Ongoing research and vaccine improvements reflect the importance placed on making flu shots widely accessible and safe for everyone, including those with egg allergies.

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Full Video Transcript

For a very long time, we told people if they have egg allergies, that they should not get the influenza vaccine because the virus that the vaccine is made from is grown in chicken eggs. But, two things have changed recently: the first is that there are vaccines that are made in other ways, where chicken eggs are not used, and there’s no risk of exposure to egg proteins, so those vaccines are perfectly safe in people who have egg allergies. The second thing is that, we recognize that other vaccines like MMR, the virus is also grown in eggs, but we’ve done the testing, and we’ve found out that no matter how severe your egg allergy is, those vaccines are safe.

So, because of the threat of the next influenza pandemic, people have spent a lot of time in the past 15 years testing influenza vaccines that are grown in eggs, in egg-allergic people, and we know now—although we didn’t even a few years ago—that in fact, even vaccines, influenza vaccines that are made in eggs, are safe for egg-allergic people.

So, if you have egg allergies, talk to your doctor, and figure out what’s right for you—either a non-egg-based vaccine, or the reassurance from your physician that there really is very good evidence now, that it’s safe to get an egg-based influenza vaccine.