New research from the University of Sydney has found the severity of febrile seizures following vaccination is no different to febrile seizures from another cause, such as from a virus, and that the majority of seizures are short-lived, self-resolving and don’t require ongoing treatment.
While each Australian child would have received 13 vaccinations by the time they reach two years of age, febrile seizures following vaccination accounted only for 6 per cent of all first febrile seizure presentations to hospital.
Published today in Paediatrics, this is the first prospective study to directly compare the differences in severity and outcomes between febrile seizures following vaccination to other febrile seizures.
“Febrile seizures are not known to cause long-lasting effects, but they are understandably frightening to parents and carers,” said Dr. Lucy Deng, lead author and Ph.D. student from University of Sydney and the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS).