Chickenpox infection in an adult was complicated by peripheral chorioretinitis and treated with oral acyclovir. Similarities of this case to the recently proposed mild type of acute retinal necrosis syndrome are discussed.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a neurotropic α-herpesvirus that causes chickenpox and establishes life-long latency in the cranial nerve and dorsal root ganglia of the host. To date, VZV is the only virus consistently reported to have an inverse association with glioma. The Glioma International Case-Control Study (GICC) is a large, multisite consortium with data on 4533 cases and 4171 controls...

We are reporting on a household outbreak of measles, in which cases of simultaneous measles and chickenpox infection occured in children of a family who resided in Italy during the incubation period (June 2011). In three children, fever and generalized confluent macular rash were the dominant symptoms. Serology testing revealed simultaneous measles and chickenpox infection in four children.

In the article 'Surveillance of viral pathogens in Australia: varicella-zoster virus' published in the previous issue of Communicable Diseases Intelligence, 1 the authors dismiss passive surveillance as unworkable because of 'the large numbers of cases of chickenpox and the small proportion of cases who seek medical attention'. It is not clear if they believe that passive surveillance is imprac...

UNLABELLED Varicella zoster (chickenpox) infection is an acute common disease caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV). Children are most susceptible to infection. In non-vaccinated populations, primary infection tends to occur at a younger age. In 1998, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that routine childhood varicella vaccination be considered in countries where the disease is...