Patient's question:
The child is currently 5 and a half years old. Since the age of 3, they have had 4 seizures in total. Taiyuan Children's Hospital confirmed the diagnosis as epilepsy, while Beijing Children's Hospital and Peking University Hospital diagnosed it as febrile seizures. Each EEG has shown abnormal brain activity.Previous treatment and outcomes: After each seizure, the child received intravenous fluids, which included brain supplements and anti-inflammatory medications. They have not taken any epilepsy treatment medications.
Assistance needed: The child now needs to receive additional preventive vaccinations. Is this possible?
Doctor's answer:
Epilepsy itself is not a contraindication for vaccination. There have been rare cases of recurrence of neurological side effects after epilepsy patients receive vaccinations, but this is not statistically significant. Vaccination effectively ensures the health of the vast majority of children, and therefore, it should not be refused to allow children to understand that the vaccine could save their lives. Some vaccines may cause a drop in body temperature, such as the Japanese encephalitis vaccine, meningococcal vaccine, and DTP vaccine. When a child has epilepsy, febrile seizures, or a family history of epilepsy, vaccination may trigger epilepsy or worsen epilepsy attacks. However, long-term follow-up shows no significant side effects, so it is still recommended to vaccinate normally. But before vaccination, the risks of vaccination and methods to address fever should be informed.