Vaccination

No child with eczema should be vaccinated nor should he be exposed to a child who has been recently vaccinated. The virus of cowpox is extraordinarily contagious if the skin is broken, and most of the cases of eczema vaccinatum that I have seen have been acquired from a sibling. Direct contact is not necessary-the virus has been found in dust, and on clothes, towels, and bedclothes, and may live for two months.

If the mother has herpes of the lip and her baby has eczema, the baby will probably acquire Kaposi’s varicelli-form eruption from her, which clini­cally closely resembles eczema vac­cinatum. If possible, mother and child should be separated until she is over the herpes: Kaposi ’s eruption is no light matter.

Other Immunizations.-A baby with eczema is no more likely to be upset by tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis immunization than is any other child. However, if the eczema is severe, it is wiser to wait until it is better than to run the risk of adding insult to injury. Immunization with influenza vaccine should not be done to any child who is sensitive to egg white.