Severe eczema new reaction to smallpox jab

Severe eczema can now be added to the range of side-effects caused by the smallpox vaccine.

Doctors in Jerusalem reported the case of a 27-year-old man who developed severe eczema over his entire body – leaving deep scars on his face and chest – after having been vaccinated against smallpox.

The reaction, called eczema vaccinatum, is a rare complication of the vaccine that can strike any patient with a history of eczema or who is in close contact with a vaccinated person (N Engl J Med, 2002; 346: 1287).