Rakesh Bhatia
S N Medical College, India
Abstract Title:
Neurologic Complications of Vaccination
Biography:
Dr Rakesh Bhatia is a former Professor in Pediatrics at S N Medical College, Agra (India). He has more than 30 years of experience teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical students. He is the President-elect of Academy of Pediatric Neurology (UP), and a former member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Indian Academy of Clinical Medicine. He is a contributing author to many prestigious text books including Postgraduate Textbook of Pediatrics, IAP Textbook of Vaccines, Covid-19 Vaccines, and FAQs on Vaccines and Immunization. His areas of special interest are: Vaccinology, Pediatric Neurology, and Infectious Diseases.
Research Interests:
Vaccination has been considered as one of the most important public health advancements in the history of Medicine. But concerns about safety of vaccines have haunted us from the very beginning. Although serious neurologic complications are rare, they can create mass-hysteria, and can have devastating impact on vaccination programs.
Most common neurologic complications are headache, post-vaccination syncope, and febrile seizures. Most dreaded complications are: post-vaccination encephalomyelitis, ADEM, and GBS. Most serious neurologic complications are seen with rabies and yellow fever vaccines. Vaccines most frequently associated with significant neurologic complications are influenza (narcolepsy), and whole cell pertussis (HHE). Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a well-known complication of some Covid-19 vaccines. Although frequently highlighted in media, there is no evidence of an association between autism and MMR vaccine.
