Eczema risk factors
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1], Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Edzel Lorraine Co, D.M.D., M.D.
Overview
Vulnerability to live Vaccinia virus
In June, 2007, Science magazine reported that an American soldier who had been vaccinated for smallpox-- the vaccine that contains live vaccinia virus-- had transmitted vaccinia virus to his two-year-old son.[1] The soldier and his son both had a history of eczema. The son rapidly came down with a rare side effect, eczema vaccinatum, which had been seen during the 1960s when children were routinely vaccinated against smallpox. The child developed a severe full-body pustular rash, his abdomen filled with fluid, and his kidneys nearly failed. Intense consultation with experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a donation of an experimental antiviral drug by SIGA Technologies saved the child's life. Those with a family history of eczema are advised not to accept the smallpox vaccination, or any other that contains live vaccinia virus.
References
- ↑ Kaiser J (2007). "Smallpox vaccine. A tame virus runs amok". Science. 316 (5830): 1418–9. doi:10.1126/science.316.5830.1418. PMID 17556562.