Comments on: Should I Give My Egg-Allergic Child the Flu Shot?

By: Sabrina

Sabrina — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:16:11 +0000

My son is 3 also with egg allergy(4+) , asthma and has had the flu twice. His allergist suggested against the flu shot saying that the risk with the shot is greater than the risk without it. Im not so sure anymore. He is 3 and has had flu 2yrs in a row and has had walking pnuemonia. We might consider the risk next season. My baby has suffered enough.

By: Nels

Nels — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:56:53 +0000

my 3yo son has egg allergies and other common allergies like peanuts and seafood, he also just got diagnosed for asthma when he got a severe attack and had to be hospitalized. Its devastating to see your baby go through all that, so im kind of opting for the flu shot. His egg allergy level is at 3 and his asthma isnt so serious yet. I think with the flu shot and some good asthma meds we wont have to take so many trips to the emergency room anymore. Any one have any oppinions or have had simmilar case??

By: Archna

Archna — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:14:59 +0000

Unless it is an absolute necessary to give flu shot, I would abstain from one as it might trigger an asthma attack in the child.

There is an Australian invention in the market by the name of “Oralmat Drops” and they are known to have helped asthmatic children to effectively manage their allergies. My child who was asthmatic has been able to leave steroids and does not require puffs any more thanks to this small Aussie invention.

By: wineymomma

wineymomma — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:29:39 +0000

Unless your child has other health concerns that would make the flu shot an absolute necessity (for example, asthma) I would avoid it. It’s just not worth the risk of a more than likely allergic reaction.

By: Amy J H

Amy J H — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:49:04 +0000

My 1-year-old son is severely allergic to eggs after we got him tested by a pediatrics allergist and done with a blood test. His test number was at 13, “extremely severe”. We learned about his allergic reactions to eggs by the hard way, he is also severely allergic to TamiFlu. Last year, when my husband had flu, and my older son’s classmates in Kindergarten all got flu, (a flu outbreak in our city), so under our doctor’s order: the rest of our family to take TamiFlu for prevention (once a day with a smaller dose to prevent the flu), and my husband was taking TamiFlu to fight the flu he had. My babywas rushed to ER after his 2nd dose of TamiFlu. His eyelids lips ears nose face were swollen and difficulty breathing. His first dose of TamiFlu was fine, but not his 2nd dose.

By: Amy J H

Amy J H — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:38:05 +0000

Later he was rushed to the ER by an ambulance because he had a bite of animal cracker, he had swollen eyelids, lips, tongue, ears, nose, entire face, fingers and legs, and had difficulty breathing. At his one-year-old birthday party, we also had to rush him to the ER with an ambulance, he had a severe reaction to the birthday cake. We are ER and ambulance frequent customers. Now, my son is 22 months old, we go to his pediatrics allergist for flu shots, they closely watch him with each small dose of flu vaccine they gave him, every 30 minutes, until the full dose is done. We are hoping he can out grown his egg allergy soon.

By: Bernard Brussels

Bernard Brussels — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:29:42 +0000

TRUE: the flu can kill

UN-Thunth: most childs need the flu shot.

Any shot is dangerous.
So keep the balance: give & get…

If your child gets the flu… He will stay home for a week. But his immune system will get out of it far beter.

By: Erin

Erin — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:51:44 +0000

MY 3 year old son has a severe allergy to eggs. He once had an anaphlyctic reaction at about a year old. Lips and tongue swelled, gasping for air, spots on his lips and around his mouth and throat. Very scary. He also has an extensive history of asthma and respitory problems. We’ve been hospitalized on occasions. He has a family doc and we see specialists in GR for the asthama and allergies. They all agree that he is high risk no matter what we do, but that giving the flu shot could very well be more detrimental than helpful here. I’m torn, I want him to be safe, but I also have seen the reactions from the proteins in the eggs. He has never had a flu shot, and may never, as they allergist isn’t sure he’ll ever outgrow the allergy because it’s so severe.

By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:42:27 +0000

My 5-year-old daughter is allergic to egg and has asthma, and has received the flu shot every year since she was six months old. (She is also allergic to peanut, almond, milk, banana, and a number of other foods). She receives the shot in her allergist’s office, where she is either skin tested with the vaccine first or given a small amount of the vaccine first with the remainder given 30 minutes later. I am always anxious when she receives the shot, but thankfully, her only reaction so far has been localized – the area gets swollen and itchy about a day after she gets the shot, and it subsides in another couple of days. For her, the benefit of protection from the vaccine outweighs the cost, but I know this is not true for everyone.

By: diane

diane — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:02:25 +0000

I am an adult (49), and due to lack of money and then confirmation of my egg allergy, have had maybe 1 flu shot in my life. I used to get it annually, but since I’ve moved away from the Midwest, I rarely get the flu, and haven’t had it in 3 years. I would rather risk the flu than an anaphylactic reaction, which I have had (from allergy shots) and is far more life-threatening. While kids are at much higher risk of exposure, I think parents need to consider their child’s overall health and immune system strength and not freak out about germs and viruses. We are becoming germ-a-phobs and our body’s immune systems never get the chance to do what they are meant to do — protect us, and are therefore much weaker and propagate further weakness to things that have always existed in our world, and always will.