Household Transmission of Vaccinia Virus from Contact with a
Military Smallpox Vaccinee --- Illinois and Indiana, 2007 On
March 7, 2007, the Chicago Department of Public Health and the
University of Chicago Pediatric Infectious Disease Service and
Infection Control Program notified CDC of a child with presumed
eczema vaccinatum (EV), a life-threatening complication of
vaccinia virus infection (1). This is the first reported EV case
in the United States since 1988 (2). This report summarizes the
epidemiologic and environmental investigations conducted by
local, state, and federal public health authorities in Illinois
and Indiana to determine the source of exposure and to identify
and monitor other persons at risk for vaccinia virus infection.
This case highlights the need for clinicians to maintain a high
index of suspicion when evaluating recently vaccinated patients
and their family members with vesiculopustular rash. On January
26, 2007, an active-duty U.S. service member received a first-
time smallpox vacc