Measles Vaccine in Egg-Allergic Children
1 Immunization Division, Bureau of State Services, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333
The question of allergy to eggs or chickens as a true contraindication to measles vaccination has recently been discussed.1,2 We would like to comment further on the issues involved.
Package inserts of vaccines have traditionally listed as contraindications allergies to the animal or egg whose cells have been used for propagating the virus in question. Measles vaccine in use now is produced in chick fibroblast cultures.3 This tissue differs from the egg cells that were used to grow viruses for some older vaccines and that are still used for influenza, yellow fever, and rabies vaccines.




