New vote of confidence in childhood vaccines
Good odds: The risk of a potentially fatal reaction to the childhood vaccines is low
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Parents who fear their child may have a potentially fatal reaction after vaccination have been reassured the incidence is "extremely rare". A new review of children in Ireland and the UK, who were suspected of having this life-threatening reaction, was carried out by researchers.
The study, published in the 'Archives of Disease in Childhood', looked at the incidence of allergic reaction, known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock, following vaccination.
Anaphylaxis can be fatal and can be triggered by several factors, including specific foods, airborne allergens, stings and bites, and drugs/vaccines.
But because anaphylaxis is rare, it is usually very difficult to pick this up as a potential side-effect of a new treatment during clinical trials when it is being tested.
Manufacturers have to rely on data collected after the product is licensed for general use on the market.
The authors, led by Mich Lajeunesse, The Children's Allergy Clinic, University Hospital Southampton, based their findings on children under the age of 16 in Ireland and in the UK.
Anaphylaxis
The children were suspected of having experienced anaphylaxis after being vaccinated between 2008 and 2009.
All the cases came from specialists, who were asked to report on any child they treated with suspected or actual anaphylaxis following a vaccination during this period to the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit.
During this time, 15 cases were recorded following vaccination with the single measles jab; the HPV jab, which is used to protect against cervical cancer; two types of vaccine for meningitis; a hepatitis A vaccine; typhoid vaccine; and a school leaver's booster jab (probably tetanus/polio).
Only seven of these cases were confirmed as anaphylaxis. Six children required an injection of adrenaline and intravenous fluids.
All made a full recovery; one child recovered without treatment. Three of these children already carried injectable adrenaline, which is used to treat severe allergic reactions.
Three of the cases were associated with the HPV vaccine. More than two million doses of this vaccine were administered during the study period, giving an incidence of 1.4 cases per million doses.
None of the cases were associated with the normal pre-school or infant immunisation schedule, including the triple MMR jab.
Around 5.5 million children would have received routine vaccinations during this period without any reported cases of anaphylaxis, say the authors.
"This is extremely reassuring data for the general public and healthcare workers alike," they conclude.
"Despite its limitations, the small numbers of cases reported are likely to be a true estimate of anaphylaxis (following immunisation) rates."
Originally published in
