Volume 15, Number 7—July 2009
Dispatch
Eczema Herpeticum and Clinical Criteria for Investigating Smallpox
David A. Boyd
, Leonard C. Sperling, and Scott A. Norton
, Leonard C. Sperling, and Scott A. NortonTable
Major clinical criteria for smallpox*
| Febrile prodrome | Occurring 1–4 days before rash onset; fever >101ºF; and >1 of the following: prostration, headache, backache, chills, vomiting, or severe abdominal pain. |
|---|---|
| Classic smallpox lesions | Deep-seated, firm/hard, round, well-circumscribed vesicles or pustules; as they evolve, lesions may become umbilicated or confluent. |
| Lesions in same stage of development | On any single part of the body (e.g., face or arm); all lesions are in the same stage of development (i.e., all are vesicles or pustules). |
*Source (3).
