“Eczema: Promise and Pox”

Return to Vaccination News Home Page __» Right-click to "open in new window"

Subscribe to the Vaccination NewsLetter

View past & current Scandals (columns by Sandy Mintz)

Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.

Eczema patients are currently advised not to receive the smallpox vaccine or to come into contact with those who have received the vaccine recently due to the risk of complications. Those with skin disorders are at risk for the complication eczema vaccinatum, in which the smallpox vaccine replicates at the injection site and lesions spread to other parts of the body. Experts say that currently the risk of complications for eczema patients is higher than the risk of exposure to smallpox, though this would change if a smallpox bioterrorist attack took place. Eczema patients should also avoid those who have recently received the smallpox inoculation because the virus can be transmitted until the vaccination site heals. If a smallpox epidemic were to occur, only then would the population of eczema patients be advised to be inoculated depending on their risk of exposure.

Return to Vaccination News Home Page __» Right-click to "open in new window"

DISCLAIMER: All information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in consultation with your health care provider.