HealthDay News — Patients with egg allergy face no increased danger from receiving injectable inactivated influenza vaccine as a single dose, according to health officials.
Egg-allergic patients can be administered a single dose of injectable inactivated influenza vaccine without prior vaccine skin testing, and should be observed for 30 minutes after vaccine administration, John M. Kelso, MD, from Scripps Clinic in San Diego, and colleagues reported in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
These updated recommendations are consistent with those issued earlier this year by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
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“The benefits of flu vaccination far outweigh any risk,” Kelso said in a statement. “As with any vaccine, all personnel and facilities administering flu shots should have procedures in place for the rare instance of anaphylaxis, a severe life-threatening allergic reaction.”
Influenza vaccines can be administered in primary care settings for those individuals who react to ingestion of eggs with hives only. Patients with a history of more severe allergic reaction should receive the vaccine in an allergist’s office.
There are several available injectable inactivated infuenza vaccines available for the 2013-2014 influenza season, including trivalent and quadrivalent formulations. These include:
- Fluzone (trivalent and quadrivalent) with several dosing options available for children aged 6 months through 36 months and older, Fluzone Intradermal (trivalent only) for adults aged 18 through 64 years, and FluZone High-Dose (trivalent only) for those aged 65 years and older (all Sanofi Pasteur).
- Fluarix (trivalent and quadrivalent) and Flulaval (trivalent and quadrivalent) for those aged 3 years and older (both GlaxoSmithKline).
- Fluvirin (trivalent only) for those aged 4 years and older (Novartis).
- Afluria (trivalent only) for patients aged 9 years and older (CSL Limited).
- FluceIvax (trivalent only) for patients aged 18 years and older (Novartis).
- Flublock (trivalent only), an egg-free cell-culture influenza vaccine, for those aged 18 through 49 years (Protein Sciences).
