According to a review of nervous system infections, up to 50% of survivors of encephalitis caused by Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) are left with permanent cognitive, psychological or neurological disabilities.
Cognition & Schooling
Immunization can prevent tetanus and its severe consequences, including death and cognitive impairment in children
The risk of mortality from tetanus is high for mothers and their newborns, and up to 50% of children who do survive neonatal tetanus may have long-term cognitive impairment, according to a 2007 review.
Vaccinating children against measles leads to an extra 0.2-0.3 years of schooling
A 2019 analysis of survey data from school aged children in Ethiopia, India and Vietnam shows that children vaccinated against measles achieved 0.2 – 0.3 years of additional schooling compared to children who did not receive the measles vaccine.
Children who received measles vaccines performed better in cognitive tests than those who did not
A 2019 analysis of survey data from India, Ethiopia and Vietnam found that children vaccinated against measles scored better on cognitive tests of language development, math and reading than children who did not receive measles vaccines.
Pneumococcal disease can impair cognitive development
A study analyzing the long-term consequences of middle ear disease in children in an urban health center and a private practice in the United States found that time spent with middle ear effusion during the first 3 years of life was significantly associated with lower school performance and lower scores in cognitive ability, speech, and language.
High incidence of diarrhea in young children can be associated with lower cognitive test scores
A study looking at the long term cognitive deficits faced by children in an urban Brazilian shantytown with high incidence of diarrhea in the first two years of life showed that this cohort scored significantly lower on 3/5 types of test measuring cognitive function at ages 6-10 compared to children who did not suffer recurrent bouts of early childhood diarrhea. In particular, the children who suffered from persistent early childhood diarrhea scored lower on tests assessing nonverbal intelligence (TONI) and IQ through assessing ability to match symbols to numbers (WISC-III Coding task) and short-term memory (WISC-III digit scan).
Early childhood diarrhea has been shown to hinder school readiness and performance
In a study of children in a Brazilian shantytown, researchers found that the greater the number of episodes of persistent diarrhea before age two, the more delayed a child was in terms of school readiness. Overall, each episode of diarrhea delayed a child’s starting school by 0.7 months. Likewise, 6-10 years later, increasing episodes of diarrhea before age two predicted delays in age-appropriate educational attainment.
Children of mothers vaccinated for tetanus and cholera attain more education
In 1996, a follow-up study was conducted on a 1974 randomized trial of tetanus and cholera vaccine administered to mothers. At the time of follow up in 1996, there was a clear pattern of increased educational attainment among children whose mothers received tetanus vaccine during pregnancy. This pattern was significant for the group of children born to vaccinated mothers with very low levels of education.
Vaccinations in pregnant mothers improves educational attainment in children
This study follows up on a 1974 randomized trial of tetanus and cholera vaccine administered to mothers in Bangladesh. At the time of follow up in 1996, there was a clear pattern of increased educational attainment among children whose mothers received tetanus vaccine during pregnancy. This pattern was significant for the group of children born to vaccinated mothers with very low levels of education.
Vaccination linked to higher IQ and language scores
Vaccination of children in the Philippines against 6 diseases was found to significantly increase IQ and language scores (compared to children receiving no vaccinations) and was estimated to have a 21% rate of return.