Nov. 5--Potential Allergen in H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine May Put Children at
Risk- New Test Reveals Both Presence and Severity of the Allergy
The World Health Organization recently declared H1N1 swine flu a global
pandemic, resulting in the creation of rigorous vaccination programs worldwide
and anxiety among parents of children with food allergies.
Most H1N1 swine flu vaccines are prepared from virus grown in chicken's
eggs, resulting in a vaccine that contains remnants of egg proteins. Egg
allergy is one of the most common food allergies in infants and young
children. The allergy can be mild or severe but oftentimes the severity level
remains unidentified. Whether a child will be at low or high risk for a
clinical reaction as a consequence of receiving this vaccine depends upon the
severity of their allergy. As the number of swine flu vaccinations increases,
the likelihood of clinical reactions occurring in children with an undetected
severe egg allergy intensifies.
Following exposure to egg, children with this allergy may suffer from
clinical reactions including rash, gastrointestinal and respiratory infections
and even anaphylaxis. In a press release issued last month, the US Food and
Drug Administration recommended against H1N1 influenza vaccination for people
with severe or life-threatening allergies to chicken eggs. Determining the
severity of egg allergy is essential to knowing whether or not a child can
safely receive the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.
A new test is available to determine the severity of a child's egg
allergy. A Swedish corporation, Phadia, offers lab testing to accurately
diagnose and identify severity level of egg allergy. ImmunoCAP, Phadia's
precise, reliable allergy test that measures IgE antibodies, indicates
clinical reaction to both egg white (f1) and ovomucoid (f233). The f1 test
will help the physician to confirm or rule out an allergy to egg white. If an
allergy to egg white is confirmed, the f233 follow-up test can be conducted to
identify the severity of egg allergy and whether the child is at low or high
risk for clinical reaction. Phadia is the only company to offer this important
follow-up test.
Phadia's ImmunoCAP allergy test system facilitates diagnosis in children
with suspected egg allergy, and, upon diagnosis, determines the level of
allergy severity. These tests allow physicians to provide timely advice to
parents and caregivers anxious to know whether or not their child should
receive the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.
For more information, please contact: Phadia Inc.: Magnus Borres, M.D.,
Medical Director contact@phadia.com
According to the New York Times, Robyn O'Brien is "Food's Erin
Brockovich." Robyn is the founder of AllergyKids, an organization designed to
protect the 1 in 3 American children with autism, allergies, ADHD and asthma.
Robyn has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News
with Katie Couric and CNN highlighting the role that chemicals in our food
supply are having on our health. O'Brien is the author of The Unhealthy Truth:
How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It (Random House/ May
2009) and it exposes the role that money plays in our federal food policy.
Born and raised in Texas, Robyn earned a Fulbright Fellowship, an MBA and
served as an equity analyst on a multibillion dollar fund prior to moving to
Boulder, Colorado with her husband and four children. Additional resources,
articles and information are available at www.robynobrien.com and
www.allergykids.com
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