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Source: ONE News -
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The Ministry of Health is warning doctors not to give a particular type of flu vaccine to children under five, after reports of children suffering febrile convulsions in both Australia and New Zealand.
All of the cases are linked to a vaccine scalled Fluvax.
New Zealand used Fluvax in March, but supplies are likely to be very low as New Zealand has since switched to a different supplier in order to meet demand.
Chief Advisor for Child and Youth Health, Doctor Pat Tuohy, says the warning is a precaution, and parents and providers need to know that fever following immunisation is common.
He says in that event, parents should give an appropriate dose of paracetamol or ibuprofen and keep the child cool.
"About 3-4% of children will have a short convulsion if they get a high fever, no matter what the cause. Febrile convulsions are frightening for parents and may result in a short admission to hospital but they do not cause long term harm," Tuohy says.
The precaution comes after health authorities in western
Australia suspended the vaccination programme for pre-schoolders
after 22 cases of high fever causing hospitalisation.
The Ministry says there have been no reports of hospitalisaions in
New Zealand.
The Ministry of Health encourages all parents, consumers and healthcare professionals to report all suspected adverse reactions to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring
Additional Background: Febrile Convulsions
Additional user-friendly information on febrile convulsions, and how to respond to them can be seen at the Starship website and the Kids Health website.
Key information on these websites includes:
What is a febrile convulsion?
-Febrile convulsion is a convulsion that occurs with a
fever.
-Many infections in children cause fevers. In some children the
fever triggers a convulsion.
-Febrile convulsions are also called fever fits, or febrile
seizures.
-Febrile convulsions are common. They are not the same as
epilepsy.
Who gets febrile convulsions?
-About one in 25 children will have a febrile convulsion. They
occur between the ages of six months and five years. Febrile
convulsions are uncommon after the age of five years.
-There is an increased chance of your child having a febrile
convulsion if a close relative had febrile convulsions as a child.
The tendency to febrile convulsions runs in families.
Key points to remember
-Febrile convulsions are a common childhood problem
-They are usually caused by a fever with a viral infection
-They look scary, but very rarely cause long-term problems
-The most important thing is to try to keep calm, and lie your
child down on their side, in the recovery position, until the
convulsion is finished
-Dial 111 and ask for urgent medical help if the convulsion lasts
more than five minutes, or if your child has trouble breathing, or
you are worried
-You should get your child checked by a doctor afterwards to find
the cause of the fever
-When your child is having a convulsion do not put anything in
their mouth and do not put them into a bath to cool down
