Generalized vaccinia is the result of
the systemic spread of virus from the vaccination site. Despite the
appearance of the lesions, it is usually a benign complication of
primary vaccination that is self-limited except in some individuals
with underlying immunosuppression (medications or illnesses). Other
post-vaccination rashes (non-specific autoimmune rashes, eczema vaccinatum,
and lesions of inadvertent implantation) have been diagnosed as generalized
vaccinia, making it difficult to determine the true frequency of this
complication.
|