Boy Sickened by Father's Smallpox Vaccination

Monday March 19, 2007

Many parents these days are worried about the impact of vaccines on their children's health and development. The case of a two-year-old who fell ill after his father was vaccinated for smallpox sounds an alarm that the vaccines given to those around your child can also, in rare cases, cause trouble.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the boy's father received the vaccine in advance of his military deployment to Iraq, but was allowed to visit with his family sometime after. The vaccination site still carried live vaccinia virus, which is similar to smallpox and strengthens immunity to that life-threatening disease. It's also dangerous to those who have eczema, like this soldier's son.

The boy developed a rash which was eventually diagnosed as eczema vaccinatum, a rare and potentially fatal side-effect of the vaccine. He is being treated with several strong drugs, including an experimental anti-smallpox drug that has not yet been approved for humans. Doctors now expect him to recover, although he might lose a fifth of his outer skin layer. The boy's mother also became ill, but not as severely.

People with eczema are advised not to get the smallpox vaccine, but apparently there has not been enough notice that they also should have no physical contact with anyone who has had the vaccine. Parents, be warned.