CDC: Flu Vaccine Option Available for People With Egg Allergy
FRIDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has unanimously voted to recommend FluBlok for people 18 through 49 years of age requiring the 2013-2014 influenza vaccine but who have an egg allergy or sensitivity.
FluBlok is a trivalent influenza vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2013. Flublok doesn't use traditional flu vaccine components -- including the influenza virus or eggs -- in its production. Instead, it uses an insect virus (baculovirus) to produce large amounts of the influenza virus protein, hemagglutinin (HA). Most antibodies that prevent flu infection are directed against hemagglutinin.
The most common side effects associated with FluBlok are similar to those associated with conventional flu vaccines -- injection-site pain, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.
According to the CDC: "The ACIP recommends that individuals with a severe egg allergy consult with a physician about their allergic conditions prior to vaccination if FluBlok is not available."
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