Question explored with the scientific record
Are flu jabs for patients allergic to egg fully effective compared to the normal flu jabs
The short version: the evidence here does not answer whether flu shots work as well in egg-allergic people, because it only looks at safety, not effectiveness.
The studies you got back are about safety, not protection. One study of 56 children with egg anaphylaxis gave 120 flu shots and saw only 2 reactions [6]. Another gave the nasal spray vaccine to 68 egg-allergic children and saw no immediate allergic reactions [15]. A third tested skin-prick reactions to the H1N1 vaccine in 59 egg-allergic patients and found only 1 positive test [8]. These all say the same thing: most egg-allergic people can take the vaccine without an allergic reaction. That is a safety finding, not an effectiveness finding.
None of these studies compared how well the vaccine prevented flu in egg-allergic people versus non-allergic people. The 1997 study in MS patients did measure antibody responses and found that vaccinated MS patients had a similar 4-fold rise in antibody titers as normal subjects [3]. But that is a surrogate endpoint, not a clinical outcome like confirmed flu infection. And that study was in MS patients, not egg-allergic patients. The evidence you have does not contain a single trial that measured whether egg-allergic people get the same protection from flu shots as everyone else.
The question of effectiveness is separate from the question of allergic reaction risk. The evidence here addresses only the second question. On that question, the data is consistent: the risk of anaphylaxis from flu vaccine in egg-allergic patients is very low, and most can receive it safely with appropriate precautions [6, 15]. But on the question you actually asked — whether the vaccine provides full protection in egg-allergic people — the evidence is silent.
My call: the evidence does not answer whether flu shots are as effective in egg-allergic patients as in non-allergic patients. Confidence: not clear — the studies retrieved were all about safety, not protection.
Sources used 4
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Influenza virus vaccination of patients with multiple sclerosis
Influenza vaccination of MS patients increased HAI antibody and PBL proliferative responses, but clinical protection was not demonstrated and vaccination neither caused nor protected against MS exacerbations.
DOI: 10.1177/135245859700300405 -
Parental Perceptions of Anaphylaxis in Children with Egg Allergy
This study evaluates the safety of influenza vaccination in children with egg anaphylaxis, finding that the majority can receive the vaccine without adverse reactions despite a high rate of false positives in skin prick testing.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2011.12.782 -
Assessment of epicutaneous testing of a monovalent Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 vaccine in egg allergic patients
This study assesses the safety of administering a monovalent Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 vaccine to egg allergic patients, finding that the vaccine can be safely given to most individuals with negative skin tests.
DOI: 10.1186/1710-1492-7-3 -
Safe vaccination of patients with egg allergy by using live attenuated influenza vaccine
Intranasal live attenuated influenza vaccine appears safe for egg-allergic children, with no immediate anaphylaxis and only mild nonspecific adverse events within 24 hours.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2014.08.008