FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Some allergy patients who could benefit from the H1N1 vaccine may needlessly avoid it due to confusion, a Virginia allergist suggests.
Dr. Peter R. Smith, an allergist and clinical immunologist with Allergy Partners of Fredericksburg, Va., said there is a lot of misunderstanding about whether people with food allergies, especially egg allergies, can receive flu vaccines.
"This is because flu vaccines contain a number of components, one of which is egg protein," Smith says in a statement.
"The vast majority of patients with egg allergy and/or suspected sensitivity to other components of the vaccine can be vaccinated following an evaluation by an allergist. Even patients who have experienced adverse reactions to vaccines in the past can often be inoculated safely using allergy guidelines."
The allergy guidelines are outlined in the October supplement to the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Smith also strongly urges asthma patients to receive H1N1 flu and seasonal flu vaccination as soon as possible since they are among the high-risk groups for developing severe complications from influenza.
However, asthmatics and anyone living with them should avoid the nasal spray. The nasal spray vaccine is a live, weakened strain of influenza that has the potential to trigger respiratory symptoms in asthmatics and individuals who are immunocompromised. These individuals, along with their family members, should receive the injectable vaccine, Smith says.
