Should acetaminophen be administered to infants routinely after immunization to prevent fever? Researchers conducted a study in Washington to find an answer to this question. 352 infants less than 10 months of age were included in the study. They were administered either acetaminophen or an inert substance called placebo that was similar in appearance to acetaminophen. The parents were not aware which preparation the child was administered.

The researchers found that infants that received acetaminophen were less likely to have fever compared to those that did not receive this medicine, though this difference was not significant. They were also less likely to be fussy post vaccination. Thus acetaminophen given to prevent fever appears to be beneficial.

High fever was reported in only 3 infants who did not receive acetaminophen and febrile seizures were not reported in any infant in the study. Thus, none of the infants that did not receive acetaminophen have serious fever-related complications.

Another similar study, however, indicated that routine use of acetaminophen with vaccines could decrease the immune response to vaccination and thereby reduce its benefits.

The researchers thus concluded that although use of acetaminophen to prevent fever in infants post vaccination helps to control their temperature and reduce fussiness, it could interfere with the immune response elicited by the vaccines. Also, fever post vaccination very rarely reaches dangerous proportions. Thus, its routine use in this situation cannot be recommended currently.

Reference :

1. Jackson LA, Peterson D, Dunn J, Hambidge SJ, Dunstan M, Starkovich P, Yu O, Benoit J, Dominguez-Islas CP, Carste B, Benson P, Nelson JC. A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Acetaminophen for Prevention of Post-Vaccination Fever in Infants. PLoS One. 2011; 6(6): e20102.

Source: Medindia