Toddler survives smallpox vaccine reaction

May 18, 2007

Thu May 17, 2007 10:23pm ET

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By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A two-year-old boy who developed a serious reaction to

his father's smallpox vaccination has recovered but disease detectives found

infectious virus all over his house, the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention reported on Thursday.

The Indiana toddler developed a rare rash known as eczema vaccinatum after

playing with his father, a soldier vaccinated for deployment in Iraq, reported

Dr. John Marcinak of the University of Chicago and CDC experts.

Experimental treatments helped the child, but the CDC said the incident

showed that care must be taken by people who receive the smallpox vaccine.

It was the first case of eczema vaccinatum reported in the United States

since 1988, the CDC said. The child was hospitalized for 48 days but should

suffer no long-term consequences other than possible scarring, said the report,

published in the CDC's weekly report on death and disease.

Pox viruses can survive on inanimate objects so experts tested the family's

home.

" Multiple swab samples obtained from the home (e.g., from a bathroom

washcloth, a slipper, a toy drum, a night stand, a booster seat, and an ointment

container) and from items brought to the child's hospital room (e.g., an infant

drinking cup and a car seat) were positive for vaccinia virus DNA, " the

researchers wrote.

They steam-cleaned the home and washed clothing and linens after an acid

pre-treatment. _Continued..._ (javascript:ArticlePaging('/news/articlene

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