Combination MMRV Vaccine Linked With Two-Fold Risk of Seizures, Study Finds

The combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (MMRV) is associated with double the risk of febrile seizures for 1- to 2-year-old children compared with same-day administration of the separate vaccine for MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and the varicella (V) vaccine for chicken pox, according to a Kaiser Permanente Division of Research study appearing online in the journal Pediatrics.

The study analyzed 459,000 children 12 to 23 months  across the United States receiving their first dose of measles-containing vaccine and found MMRV to be associated with a two-fold increased risk of fever and febrile seizures 7-10 days after vaccination compared with same-day administration of a separate shot for MMR and the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine. This study found that the risk for a febrile seizure after the first dose of MMRV vaccine is low, although it is higher than after MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine administered as separate injections.

You can read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628075411.htm