New Flu Shot Recommendation For Egg Allergy

SIOUX FALLS, SD - For years, people with egg allergies were told not to get vaccinated for influenza, because the shot could contain egg protein. But that's no longer the case.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization now recommends that people with egg allergies receive the flu shot, especially if they only have had mild egg-allergic reactions, such as hives.

The recommendation does not apply to the nasal spray influenza vaccine. And even though we're already two months into the flu season, health officials are urging everyone who isn't vaccinated already to get a shot.

"The vaccine is safe, and it's really quite effective, especially when more and more of us get vaccinated," Sanford Infectious Disease Doctor Wendell Hoffman said.

So far this year's flu season has been mild compared to past years with only eight cases reported in South Dakota.

Last flu season, there were 43 reports of the flu by this time.  Two years ago, during the H1N1 pandemic, almost 1,900  people had had the flu.