BOSTON -- Up until now, if a child had an egg allergy, it would not have been recommended that the child should get vaccinated against the flu.

But as NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Thursday, there are new guidelines.

Priya Du Bois, who is 2 years old, can pretend to eat whatever she wants in her little kitchen. But in the real world, it's a different story.

"Priya was diagnosed with an egg allergy when she was 1-year-old," said Nisha Du Bois, Priya's mother.

Since the H1N1 outbreak, her parents have been on edge, knowing she was at high risk of getting the virus, and the fact that her egg allergy might prevent her from getting vaccinated.

"The vaccines contain some egg in them, and it was a concern that she might have a reaction," Du Bois said.

"The vaccines historically have always been cultured in eggs, and they have small but not zero amounts of egg in them," said Dr. Daniel Steinberg, an allergy specialist at Allergy and Asthma Center in Chestnut Hill.

In October 2009, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in collaboration with the CDC updated the CDC website to reflect current thinking among allergy/immunology specialists regarding the risk/benefits of administering influenza vaccinations to some mildly egg allergic children.

"We are set up to handle an allergic reaction if it were to occur," Steinberg said.

Under a doctor's supervision, they give a little bit of the vaccine at a time, in a highly-controlled setting.

"We would give a patient a small amount first through a prick test, followed by a few incrementally increasing doses. These doses will then be given up to the full dose," Steinberg said. "At that time, we can monitor the patient for safety."

"We felt comfortable with that approach," said Du Bois.

Priya got the seasonal flu shot on Monday, with no reaction whatsoever. And she's set to get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.

"The benefits of her getting the vaccine outweighed the risk of her having a reaction," she said.

Steinberg said a person with a severe egg allergy should not be vaccinated against the flu. He recommends these patients should check with their specialist to review their options.