Rotavirus vaccination may protect children against seizures

Rotavirus vaccination also can reduce a child’s risk for seizures, according to recent study findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Daniel C. Payne, PhD, MSPH, an epidemiologist with the division of viral diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, and colleagues evaluated 250,601 infants (74.4% fully vaccinated; 25.6% unvaccinated) born between 2006 and 2009 to determine whether there is an association between risk for seizures and rotavirus vaccination.

Payne and colleagues found an 18% to 21% reduction in risk of seizure-related hospitalizations and ED visits for participants who were fully vaccinated during the year after vaccination compared with unvaccinated participants.

“The protective association we found between rotavirus vaccination and seizures is another good reason for having your child fully vaccinated against rotavirus,” Payne said in a press release.

Fifty-five percent of all seizures among unvaccinated participants occurred during the traditional rotavirus season (January to June) compared with 48% to 49% among vaccinated participants (P=.023). There was a significant association found between a full course of rotavirus vaccination and first-ever seizures (RR=0.816; 95% CI, 0.729-0.914) and all seizures (RR=0.79; 95% CI, 0.714-0.875).

According to Payne and colleagues, rotavirus vaccination could save more than $7 million in US health care costs each year by preventing about 1,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 ED visits for seizures among children.

“Caring for children who have seizures can be expensive and emotionally taxing for families,” Payne said. “Seizures sometimes lead to painful procedures, medication regimens, trips to the emergency room, or hospital stays.”

In an accompanying editorial, Geoffrey A. Weinberg, MD, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, said Payne and colleagues found another important benefit to the rotavirus vaccine — prevention of seizures and a cost-saving to the US health care system.

“Work such as this not only is interesting scientifically, but provides yet another reason to strongly promote universal rotavirus immunization,” he wrote. “In addition, the work provides an opportunity to reflect on the fact that sometimes, unexpected effects of vaccination are beneficial and are a cause for celebration, rather than the more commonly publicized concern for unexpected adverse effects.”

For more information:

Payne DC. Clin Infect Dis. 2013;doi:10.1093/cid/cit671.

Weinberg GA. Clin Infect Dis. 2013;doi:10.1093/cid/cit681.

Disclosure: See study for a full list of disclosures.