Measles

Excerpts:
“Febrile seizures represent a serious adverse event following measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.”

“In conclusion, using detailed health register information on vaccinations and febrile seizure episodes, we identified common variants at two loci associated with febrile seizures as an adverse event following MMR vaccination. From a public health perspective, it is essential to study the underlying causes of any serious adverse event of the MMR vaccine, a preventive pharmaceutical product given to millions of children each year, and our findings provide important leads for further research in the fields of immunogenetics and vaccinology. Concomitantly, we identified four loci associated with febrile seizures in general, which together with supporting evidence from electrophysiological experiments underline the importance of altered ion channel function in this common childhood disorder. Further functional studies will illuminate the biological mechanisms behind the associations reported here and might also provide more general insights into mechanisms of epileptogenesis and neuronal hyperexcitability.”