Increased incidence of herpes zoster in normal children infected with varicella zoster virus during infancy: Community-based follow-up study

The Epidemiology and Prevention of Herpes Zoster

“…There is also some evidence that very early acquisition of varicella, in utero or in early infancy, may increase the risk of zoster during childhood and adolescence, perhaps because the immune system is not able to establish VZV immunity at such a young age [59].…”

Epidemiology of Pediatric Herpes Zoster After Varicella Infection: A Population-Based Study

“…This may be explained by a decreased level of immunity to VZV when varicella occurs at a much younger age. 17 In this study, the children who received systemic antiviral therapy for varicella had a higher risk of developing HZ than those who did not receive antiviral therapy. Immunocompromised children are prone to contract pediatric HZ, and this may have led to the higher incidence of HZ in the cases receiving In this study, the mean age at the diagnosis of HZ in varicellavaccinated children without a medical history of varicella was 2.5 years, which is similar to a report of laboratory-confirmed HZ in vaccinated subjects with the vaccine strain of HZ (mean age, 2 years).…”

“…[16][17][18][19][20] The children who contracted varicella aged ,2 years had a significantly higher risk of developing childhood zoster than those contracting varicella aged $2 years (P , .001). This may be explained by a decreased level of immunity to VZV when varicella occurs at a much younger age.…”

“…15 It has also been reported in otherwise healthy children, and most frequently in those with varicella infection in the first year of life. 1,7,[16][17][18][19] Several studies have indicated that exposure to VZV provides a protective effect against reactivation of VZV by boosting specific immunity to the virus. 20,21 Varicella vaccination programs have led to a reduction in the number of cases of varicella, and the reduced exposure to VZV may influence the incidence rates of HZ.…”

Herpes Zoster Reacting with Short-Term Corticosteroid Therapy in a Healthy 8-Year-Old Girl

“…The most important risk factor for developing HZ in healthy children is intrauterine or the exposure to VZV in the first years of life. 5 When the literature is examined, it is observed that the majority of reported infantile period HZ are the result of intrauterine contamination. Fetuses of women who have been infected with varicella during pregnancy may become infected and HZ may develop in children in the first years of life depending on this.…”