WEBVTT - Can You Get a Flu Shot If You Have an Egg Allergy?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Volga bam here. Every fall, the seasonal

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<v Speaker 1>flu rears its ugly head. In twenty nineteen, about thirty

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<v Speaker 1>eight million people in the United States alone got sick

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<v Speaker 1>with the flu, and twenty two thousand died. According to

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<v Speaker 1>these Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or c d C,

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<v Speaker 1>the best way to protect yourself from getting sick each

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<v Speaker 1>year is by getting one of that year's formulations of

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<v Speaker 1>the influenza vaccine, either the flu shot or the nasal

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<v Speaker 1>spray flu vaccine. But if you're allergic to eggs, you

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<v Speaker 1>might have been cautioned against it. But why eggs Well,

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<v Speaker 1>the most common way flu vaccines are made is via

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<v Speaker 1>an egg based manufacturing process. Basically, the way these vaccines

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<v Speaker 1>are made is that first scientists around the world work

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<v Speaker 1>together to identify which mutations or genetic strains of the

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<v Speaker 1>flu are likely to have the most impact in the

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<v Speaker 1>coming year. Then researchers use chicken eggs as a medium

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<v Speaker 1>in which to grow, or rather replicate, a whole bunch

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<v Speaker 1>of those viruses. This actually requires an extra step. We

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<v Speaker 1>see eggs are an inexpensive and effective medium for virus

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<v Speaker 1>replication in general, but most strains of the flu that

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<v Speaker 1>are potentially dangerous to humans aren't that good at growing

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<v Speaker 1>in eggs, and so researchers develop special strains of the

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<v Speaker 1>dangerous strains that are called candidate vaccine viruses, or cvvs.

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<v Speaker 1>Cvvs have a lot in common with the original danger strains,

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<v Speaker 1>but are also good at replicating inside of chicken eggs.

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<v Speaker 1>One way that scientists create cvvs is by injecting eggs

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<v Speaker 1>with both one of those strains of the flu identified

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<v Speaker 1>as potentially dangerous and also a strain that's good at

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<v Speaker 1>growing in eggs. The two strains will sort of mix

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<v Speaker 1>and match genetically, and the scientists can then select cvvs

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<v Speaker 1>have both properties. Once you have your CVV, scientists inject

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<v Speaker 1>them into new chicken eggs and leave them to incubate

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<v Speaker 1>for several days. This allows the virus to replicate. Then,

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<v Speaker 1>the fluid from the eggs containing the viruses is harvested

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<v Speaker 1>and processed and used to create vaccines. Because this fluid

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<v Speaker 1>from eggs is used in creating most flu vaccines, most

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<v Speaker 1>types of flu vaccines do contain a small amount of

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<v Speaker 1>egg protein, which may trigger an allergic response in people.

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<v Speaker 1>With egg allergies, So should people with egg allergies avoid

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<v Speaker 1>getting annual flu shots. Not necessarily. Here's how egg allergies

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<v Speaker 1>work in brief. When someone with an egg allergy gets

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<v Speaker 1>egg in their system, their immune system goes into attack

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<v Speaker 1>mode against the proteins in the white spand or the

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<v Speaker 1>yolks of the egg. Their immune system sends out a

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<v Speaker 1>barrage of compounds to defend itself. This battle between allergens

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<v Speaker 1>and your bodies. Defend compounds, most notably, histamine, triggers allergy symptoms,

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<v Speaker 1>which can range from a mild rash to life threatening anaphylaxis.

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<v Speaker 1>This doesn't mean that people with egg allergies shouldn't get

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<v Speaker 1>flu shots. The CDC now recommends that people with the

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<v Speaker 1>history of egg allergies, regardless of the severity, are okay

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<v Speaker 1>to receive any licensed, recommended, and age appropriate influenza vaccine.

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<v Speaker 1>This decision is based on studies of both the nasal

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<v Speaker 1>spray vaccine and the flu shot in people with and

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<v Speaker 1>without egg allergies. The rate of anaphylaxis after all vaccines

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<v Speaker 1>is one point three one per one million doses. Given

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<v Speaker 1>that's super low, the CDC does recommend the people with

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<v Speaker 1>a history of severe allergic reactions to eggs. That is,

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<v Speaker 1>anyone who has gotten anything more serious than hives from eggs.

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<v Speaker 1>Be vaccinated in a medical setting such as a hospital, clinic,

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<v Speaker 1>health department, or doctor's office by a healthcare provider trained

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<v Speaker 1>to recognize and manage an allergic response. Just as a precaution,

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<v Speaker 1>they'll keep an eye on you for about half an

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<v Speaker 1>hour just to make sure you don't have a negative reaction.

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<v Speaker 1>But the risk of a bad reaction to a flu

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<v Speaker 1>vaccine due to an egg allergy is so low, and

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<v Speaker 1>the benefits of having the vaccine and thus probably avoiding

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<v Speaker 1>getting sick or passing the disease onto people around you

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<v Speaker 1>are so high that experts recommend it anyway. Flu vaccines

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<v Speaker 1>made via an entirely different, non egg related process are

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<v Speaker 1>much more rare, but they do exist. If you're interested

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<v Speaker 1>in getting one of these, check with a healthcare provider

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<v Speaker 1>for potential availability. Today's episode is based on the article

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<v Speaker 1>can you get a flu shot if you have an

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<v Speaker 1>egg allergy? On how stuff works dot com, written by

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<v Speaker 1>Jennifer Walker. Journey brain Stuff is production of by Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com and

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<v Speaker 1>is produced by Tyler Clanang or more podcasts My Heart Radio,

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