Q: My son is 13 months old. Since he had egg allergy he was advised not to receive measles vaccine at 9 months. It is now time for the MMR vaccine. Should I give him the vaccine? Is there any brand available in India which has less or no egg protein? If not, what is your advice to protect my child against this disease?

A:Current measles vaccine is derived from human diploid cell cultures and do not contain egg cross-reacting proteins. Mumps vaccine is derived from chick embryo fibroblast tissue cultures. Recent studies indicate that children with egg allergy, even those with severe hypersensitivity, are at low risk for anaphylactic reactions to these vaccines, singly or in combination (ie, MMR), and that routine skin testing is not required. Most immediate hypersensitivity reactions following MMR appear to be reactions to other vaccine components, such as gelatin or neomycin. Therefore, children with egg allergy routinely may be given MMR, measles, or mumps vaccine without prior skin testing.