Influenza vaccination of the egg-allergic individual: 2012 update

To the Editor: Recent studies have highlighted the safety of administering influenza vaccine derived from embryonated chicken eggs to egg-allergic individuals,1-3 as long as the vaccine contains no more than 1 µg of egg ovalbumin per dose. This is reflected in recommendations by expert advisory groups including the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy.4 These recommendations have been strengthened by further evidence of the safety of influenza vaccines, even in patients with egg-induced anaphylaxis.5 All the seasonal influenza vaccines currently available in Australia contain haemagglutinin from influenza A, B and H1N1 strains, and less than 1 µg of egg ovalbumin per dose (data available on request from the author). We thus reiterate the safety of administering currently available influenza trivalent vaccines in medically supervised primary care settings as a single dose, with a 30-minute observation period (rather than the standard 15 minutes) for patients with non-anaphylactic reactions to egg.