Childhood Herpes Zoster (See Letter to the Editor. 2003;71:86)

Herpes zoster (HZ) in childhood is rather unusual. This reactivation of chickenpox, the primary varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection that lies dormant within sensory ganglia, is seen with increased frequency in otherwise healthy children who acquire chickenpox either in utero or within the first year of life. Our patient is a good example of this; he was exposed to chickenpox at the age of 3 months (by his 2 siblings) and developed HZ at 6 years of age.