The remarkable new hypothesis put forth by R. Edgar Hope-Simpson, a general practitioner in Cirencester, England, in 1965 on the nature of herpes zoster was based on the observation of every case of herpes zoster by Hope-Simpson and his partner over 16 years in their practice of 3500 persons [1]. They recorded 192 cases of zoster during the 16-year period of 1947–1962, for an annual rate of 3.4...

Background: There is increasing evidence that herpes zoster (HZ) incidence rates among children and adults (aged <60 years) with a history of natural varicella are influenced primarily by the frequency of exogenous exposures, while asymptomatic endogenous reactivations help to cap the rate at approximately 550 cases/ 100,000 person-years when exogenous boosting becomes rare. The Antelope Valley...

Vaccination of healthy children against varicella using the live attenuated Oka vaccine has been available in Japan and south Korea for several years. In 1996, a programme of universal vaccination of children to prevent varicella was introduced in the USA and other countries, including Canada, Germany, and Sweden, have licensed the vaccine for use in healthy children. This article reviews the o...

We investigated a varicella outbreak in a residential facility for adults with intellectual disabilities. A case of varicella was defined as a generalized maculopapular rash that developed in a facility resident or employee. Immunoglobulin M testing was conducted on serologic samples, and polymerase chain reaction testing was performed on environmental and skin lesion samples. Eleven cases were...

The herpes zoster vaccine is made using high doses of live attenuated varicella/zoster virus. The vaccine is well tolerated and has few adverse effects: the most common one is pain at the injection site. Complications can occur mainly in persons who had prior zoster keratitis or uveitis. The vaccine can prevent this disease with low mortality but high morbidity.

Congenital varicella syndrome refers to the spectrum of fetal anomalies associated with maternal varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection during the first trimester of pregnancy. The syndrome is rare and the risk to the fetus uncertain. We describe an unusual case of congenital varicella syndrome in which hydrocephalus was the main consequence and likely represented VZV reactivation in utero.

Herpes zoster is caused by varicella zoster virus infection involving the dorsal root ganglia of spinal nerve roots. This common problem can be associated with multiple neurological abnormalities. We present a case of Herpes zoster affecting the T1 dermatome associated with ipsilateral Horner's syndrome and radicular weakness.

Varicella-zoster virus is a member of the Herpesviridae family. It can cause chickenpox and Herpes zoster infection (shingles). The latter is an acute, cutaneous infection caused by reactivation of a primary varicella infection upon decline in the virus-specific and cell-mediated immunity. Herpes zoster Infection is a serious infection in immune compromised patients. Predisposing factors includ...

Herpes zoster (shingles), a painful and disabling disease, affects an estimated 1 million individuals in the United States annually and results in significant morbidity, lost productivity, and diminished quality of life. Herpes zoster constitutes the reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. After resolution of chickenpox, VZV remains dormant in dorsal...

A 74-year-old white man presented with unilateral radicular pain extending across the left side of his chest and back. A diagnosis of postherpetic neuralgia, a sequela of herpes zoster, was made. Herpes zoster represents a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus that lies dormant in patients with past chickenpox. Risk factors for the disease include advanced age, stress, immunodeficiency, an...