Can a severe reaction (such as swelling& high fever) to a whooping cough shot in the 50's cause an abnormal eeg and seizures in later life?

Pertussis vaccine: This would be unlikely, but anything is possible. A very rare yet serious side effect associated with this vaccine is the occurrence of seizures. The cdc reports seizures in association with the vaccine (although not necessarily causative) in one child out of 14, 000 who are immunized. This can lead to coma, brain damage and even death, but these side effects usually occur shortly after.