Jabs could prevent cot death

The precise cause of cot death is unknown

Immunisation may offer some protection against the threat of cot death, a scientific study has suggested.

The finding surprised scientists who were actually investigating claims that the diptheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (DTP) vaccine could cause the syndrome.

Sudden infant death syndrome is still the leading cause of death in children over one month old, even though advice given to mothers about babies' sleeping position has dramatically reduced the numbers of fatalities.

The fears over the role played by the DTP jab arose because many cot deaths happen around the time that the injection is administered.

Our data suggest that immunisation does not contribute to the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and may protect against it

Dr Peter Fleming, Bristol Children's Hospital

Scientists from Bristol University looked at more than 470,000 cot death cases from between 1993 and 1996, checking to see if they had been immunised or not.

They found that only half the babies who had died from cot death had taken part in immunisation. Two-thirds of the live babies had taken part.

Among children of three or more months old, 79% of cot death victims had received the vaccines, compared with 93% of the surviving children.

While participation in immunisation can be a marker of a higher level of interest in the child's health - which might mean that more notice is taken of advice about sleeping positions - this is still a strong suggestion that the jabs could be a protective factor.

Report author Peter Fleming said evidence of a higher immunisation uptake among the infants who died was needed to demonstrate a link between vaccines and cot death.

He said: "Our data suggest that immunisation does not contribute to the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and may protect against it."

Although some traditional advice was to lay a baby on its front in its cot to relieve digestive problems such as colic, parents are now urged to lie the baby down on its back instead to protect from cot death.

The precise cause of cot death is a mystery to doctors, although some studies have suggested smoking by parents may lead to an increased risk.