Delaying certain routine immunisations past the first 15 months of life could boost the risk of fever-related seizures, new research suggests. [s]Health24[/s] reports that the risk appears very small, and the brief seizures – due to fevers caused by the shots – usually don’t lead to any harm other than shattered nerves in parents. Still, says Dr Simon Hambidge, professor of paediatrics and epidemiology at the [b]University of Colorado[/b] and lead author of the study, the findings provide more evidence to support not delaying immunisations. The vaccines in question are the combination measles-mumps-rubella and the newer combo immunisation for measles-mumps-rubella plus chicken pox (varicella). As many as 5% of children who get the MMR shot develop a fever, typically within seven to 10 days, Hambidge said. About 1 in 4000 doses will cause a fever-related seizure. But when vaccination is postponed, the risk of fever-related seizure rises twofold, the study said.
The [b]GAVI[/b] global vaccines alliance has issued a plea for $7.5bn to help immunise another 300m children against life-threatening diseases between 2016 and 2020 and save up to 6m more lives, reports [s]Polity[/s]. GAVI, which is backed by the [b]Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation[/b], the [b]World Health Organisation[/b], the [b]World Bank[/b], [b]UNICEF[/b], donor governments and others, funds immunisation programs for poor nations that cannot afford to buy vaccines at rich-world prices. The group targets common but deadly diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and cervical cancer and says it has already saved around 6m lives since its launch in 2000.
[link url=http://www.health24.com/Medical/Diseases/Delaying-Measles-vaccines-may-raise-seizure-risk-study-20140520]Full Health24 report[/link]
[link url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/05/14/peds.2013-3429.abstract?sid=505bcf42-5e1b-4af6-ab0c-1b79cd645a42]Pediatrics abstract[/link]
[link url=http://www.polity.org.za/article/vaccines-group-seeks-75bn-to-protect-300m-children-2014-05-20]Full Polity report[/link]