All pregnant women are advised to have flu vaccine to protect them and their newborn child. If you have a PID then live vaccine should not be used (but these are not licensed for adults so should not be an issue).
Vaccines reduce the likelihood of getting an infection and often reduce how badly a person will be affected if infection still occurs. Some people with immunodeficiency will be able to be vaccinated, but their responses may not be as good as individuals with fully functioning immune systems. Vaccinating family members or close household contacts with
There is a theoretical potential for transmission of live attenuated influenza virus in Fluenz Tetra® to immunocompromised contacts for one to two weeks following vaccination. In the US, where there has been extensive use of the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine, there have been no reported instances of illness or infections from the vaccine virus among
No Fluenz is a live nasal vaccine and should not be given to children with a PID. Other killed; injectable flu vaccines may be recommended. You should speak to your immunology team for advice.
In general, there is no contraindication between having immunoglobulin therapy and killed vaccines, but if the two are given close together and there are high levels of antibody in the Ig to the vaccine then the efficacy is likely to be impaired. Please check with your immunology team about the appropriate timing.
No you don’t have to go hospital if you don’t want to. You can be trained to do it at home by your nursing team. This may seem daunting at first but lots of people do it this way and find it very convenient.
Yes – they may be related to the dose and route (e.g. very high doses intravenously can cause renal impairment), also some batches do not suit some people and a variety of side effects can occur (headaches, joint pain, local swelling and itching for subcut) which should be explained by the team before starting.
Doctors will look at how often you have an infection (infection frequency) and the levels of immunoglobulin in your blood just before an infusion, to make sure its adequate (trough level). It’s a good idea to keep a diary of any infections you have. This will help your doctors and nurses understand how your immunoglobulin
The development of keloid is usually related to wound healing from incisional scars (due to surgery) rather than the infusion of a liquid into the subcutaneous space. Some individuals will rarely get fibrosis (excess fibrous connective tissue), but not usually keloid at sites of infusion. The fibrosis is where the connective tissue becomes thickened and
Itching at the site of injection is common. Whether or not to treat this problem depends on the severity. If it is minor and lasts a few hours it may not be necessary to do anything. For some people antihistamines work, topically (skin) applied steroids have been tried prior to the injection at the injection site,
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if you or your child has any immunodeficiency symptoms or concerns. © 2025 Immunodeficiency UK. All rights reserved | Registered charity number 1193166.
