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1) Once your child has been diagnosed with opsoclonus-myoclonus sydrome (OMS), it is important to stop any further immunizations.

2) Immunization can make OMS worse.

3) In a child with frequent relapses, we may defer immunizations beyond two years on a case by case basis.

4) Immunizations tend to stimulate the immune system. In OMS, the immune system is already overactive and needs to be suppressed, not further stressed.

5) Although pertussis immunization is now available in an acellular form (DTaP), which causes less cross-reactivity, we don't recommend giving children with OMS any pertussis-containing preparation.

6) No immunizations should be given during treatment with immunological drugs, such as Prednisone (prednisolone), Decadron (dexamethasone), ACTH (corticotropin), or Imuran (azathioprine).

7) If your child has direct exposure to chicken pox, we recommend giving VZIG (varicella-zoster immune globulin), as getting chicken pox carries more risk than being immunized.

8) IVIG probably does not interfere with immunizations, but little information is available on this point.