Shots, shots, shots, and allergies, allergies, allergies

Vaccines have been all over the news lately in the US- with the FDA giving emergency authorization for the Pfizer COVID vaccine in kids age 5-11, then Aaron Rogers testing positive and missing a NFL game after refusing to get vaccinated, plus, lest we forget with everything else that's going on, it’s flu shot season. So, it seems like everybody is rolling up their sleeves and waiting to get jabbed. But, what does this mean for people with food allergies?

The Flu Shot

For years, I’ve seen the “are you allergic to eggs?” question whenever I’ve gotten my flu shot, but I never thought twice about it until my kid was diagnosed with an egg allergy. Well, suddenly, it has become super important to me so I did some research. Both the flu vaccine and flu nasal spray vaccines can contain a tiny amount of egg protein (although there are two versions that are completely egg free). Because many contain egg protein, in the past it has been advised that anybody with an egg allergy wait 30 minutes at the doctor’s office to be observed.

But, because the risk of a severe allergic reaction is so slim even if you have had anaphylaxis to egg in the past, they recently took away that recommendation! Wahoo! No more extra time in doctors office! Oh wait, the news didn’t reach our pediatrician’s office, though, so we still spent an extra 20 minutes hanging out in the room, looking at books, singing songs, trying to stop the crying. But honestly, I'd rather be safe than sorry and the thought of having to pull over on the way home to jab her with epinephrine on the side of the highway was enough to feel great about waiting.

Good news for people with an egg allergy- it doesn’t seem to be as big a deal with the flu vaccine anymore. The only allergy they are concerned about? If you have had an allergic reaction to a flu shot in the past. More info on the flu shot and food allergies

The COVID Shot

None of the three approved COVID vaccines in the US (Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson) have any food proteins, latex, or preservatives in them. Which makes them safe for people with food allergies, even with history of anaphylaxis in the past (woohoo! woohoo!). Although there shouldn’t be any reaction, they will still make you wait 30 minutes afterwards, instead of the normal 15 minutes. You know how they love to trap kids with food allergies at the doctor's office. More info on the COVID vaccine and food allergies

 

Well, this post wasn’t very funny. Hard to make vaccines too funny when they are so important these days. Having food allergies means having an immune system that is overreacting to ubiquitous, delicious, and benign things that other people eat with no problem. So why don’t we turn the tables and train that immune system to do the thing it’s meant to do? Get out there and fight viruses. Get vaccinated!