Historically, people with egg allergies weren’t able to take advantage of the same flu vaccinations that the general population can. Most flu vaccinations are made using chicken eggs and contain small amounts of the protein ovalbumin, which has been thought to be a no-go for egg allergy sufferers. A new paper published Tuesday in the Annals of Allergy; however, challenges that thought and claims that the flu shot is safe for people who are allergic to eggs.
According to Matthew Greenhawt, the lead author on the paper and the chairman of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Food Allergy Committee, the study’s results mean that people with egg allergies can get the traditional flu shot without taking any additional precautions.
Typical egg allergy suffers have to see an allergy specialist for the flu shot, get special shots, and require longer-than-normal observation periods after getting the shot. CNN reports that the new findings mean that more people will be able to take advantage of the flu shot this year, reducing the risk of contracting the disease, which can sometimes be fatal.