Vaccine Injury FAQ: Can Vaccines Cause Seizures?

The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) compensates families whose loved one experienced rare adverse effects of vaccines. The vaccines that are covered by the VICP are those that are recommended for children and pregnant mothers. Many of the covered vaccinations are administered to infants from the ages of 6 months to 2 years, such as the DTaP, MMR, MMRV, influenza, and pneumococcal vaccines.

These vaccines are generally very safe for infants; however, on rare occasions, they have been associated with a slightly increased risk of febrile seizures.

What are febrile seizures (and how common are they)?

Febrile seizures are any seizures caused by a fever. Fevers are typically brought on by a cold, the flu, or an ear infection. Febrile seizures are most common in infants between the ages of six months and five years—most of the time, infants or children who suffer a febrile seizure recover quickly.

When it comes to vaccines, studies have shown that the DTP vaccine is associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures on the same day of the vaccination. That same study showed that the MMR vaccine is associated with an increased risk of febrile seizures eight to 14 days after the injection. These studies estimated that the incidence of febrile seizures related by the DTP and MMR vaccines was from 6-9 and 25-34 per 100,000 children, respectively.

The Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) performed a similar study. The CDC study revealed a small increased risk of febrile seizures during the 24 hours after receipt of the flu vaccine in combination with the pneumococcal or DTaP vaccines. The same study showed a small increase in the risk of febrile seizures when the pneumococcal vaccine is administered by itself. Despite these minimal risks (30 out of 100,000 children), the CDC recommends that the flu, pneumococcal, and DTaP vaccines be received during the same doctor’s visit.

More recent studies suggest that vaccines may not cause seizures but trigger them. Some children have a genetic predisposition to seizures, which can manifest itself at the time of their first vaccination. Whether these children would have developed seizures absent the vaccination (or whether the vaccine had an impact on the nature and extent of the child’s seizures) is still being studied and is a current issue in the VICP.

Do I have a case if my child experienced seizures after receiving vaccinations?

To file a Petition for compensation with the VICP, the effects of a vaccine-induced injury must have persisted for at least six months. While most febrile seizures are not permanent conditions, one third have been shown to have a recurrence. Also, febrile seizures are the most common recognized antecedent to epilepsy in childhood.

The incidence of epilepsy following febrile seizures is small and still unclear and depends on a multitude of factors. However, if a child has febrile seizures, encephalitis and encephalopathy may also be a factor. These two brain injury conditions are listed on the Vaccine Injury Table.

Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC320893/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4657773/
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/febrile-seizures.html