Rotavirus, a common cause of vomiting and diarrhea in children, can lead to seizures in some. But a new study suggests that vaccinating against rotavirus might reduce the risk of related seizures. This is according to research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other institutions undertook a retrospective analysis involving nearly a quarter of a million children in the US born between March 2006 and November 2009.

All of the children were enrolled in a project that collects data for vaccine safety research, called the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Of these children, 74.4% were fully vaccinated against rotavirus and 25.6% were not.

Led by Daniel C. Payne from the CDC, the team discovered that the children who were vaccinated against rotavirus had a 20% reduced risk of hospitalizations and emergency department visits that were related to seizures in the year following vaccination, compared with the unvaccinated children.

The researchers say that the most probable explanation for the protective association is that “vaccination directly prevents systemic rotavirus infection, including extra-intestinal complications involving the central nervous system.”

Seizures in children with intestinal illness brought on by rotavirus have been observed for years, the researchers say.

In fact, they point to a large Canadian study from 2007, which estimated that 7% of children who were hospitalized with rotavirus encountered seizures.

Daniel C. Payne, lead author, says:

“Caring for children who have seizures can be expensive and emotionally taxing for families. Seizures sometimes lead to painful procedures, medication regimens, trips to the emergency room, or hospital stays.”

He and his team estimate that the rotavirus vaccination could save more than $7 million in health care costs in the US annually by preventing 1,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 emergency room visits for child seizures.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Geoffrey A. Weinberg, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, says the seizure risk reduction Payne and his team found accompanies previously documented benefits of vaccinating children against rotavirus.

“Work such as this not only is interesting scientifically, but provides yet another reason to strongly promote universal rotavirus immunization,” Dr. Weinberg writes, adding:

In addition, the work provides us an opportunity to reflect on the fact that sometimes, unexpected effects of vaccination are beneficial and are a cause for celebration, rather than the more commonly publicized concern for unexpected adverse effects.”

Medical News Today recently reported that in the UK, health care professionals have chosen to use a rotavirus vaccine called Rotarix, which the US already uses. It is administered to children orally with a dropper, making it easy for the child to swallow.