Patients who are allergic to eggs may still receive the flu shot after an allergist evaluation

2014 update: Influenza Vaccine and Egg Allergy: Nearing the End of an Evidence-based Journey http://buff.ly/1tHY0wd

From MedPage Today:



"Egg-allergic patients can get a flu shot if its egg protein content is 1.2 mcg/mL or less. It should, however, be given in graded doses -- an initial 10% of the full dose, then the remaining 90% a half-hour later if no reaction occurs.

Unlike MMR vaccine, which is made in chick embryo fibroblast cell cultures, influenza viruses are grown directly in eggs, so by the time it turns into the 'flu shot,' there is a little egg protein left over."

Egg-allergic patients without anaphylaxis to egg may safely receive the influenza vaccine in a 2-dose, graded fashion without a vaccine skin test. Safety of Influenza Vaccine Administration in Egg-Allergic Patients. Pediatrics, Vol. 125 No. 5 May 2010, pp. e1024-e1030.

References:

ACAAI: Egg Allergy No Excuse for Skipping Flu Shot. Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today.

Tolerance to egg-containing baked foods (cake, bread) does not exclude the possibility of egg allergy (AAAAI Ask The Expert).
Most egg-allergic children can be vaccinated with a low ovalbumin influenza vaccine without prior vaccine testing http://goo.gl/VA7Xt