CHILD’S HEALTH/SKIN DISORDERS: SHINGLES (HERPES ZOSTER) CLINICAL FEATURES
Shingles is a viral infection which appears as a rash. It can occur at all ages, but is more common in the elderly or debilitated person. Shingles in children is a milder illness, and usually does not cause any serious problems.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, the varicella virus. It occurs in children and adults who have previously had chickenpox. It is not caught from other people with either chickenpox or shingles. Rather, the varicella virus lies dormant in the nerve cells after the child has had a bout of chickenpox, and is reactivated by unknown causes. Shingles often appears when someone is ‘rundown’ after illness, and occasionally following sunburn or exposure to strong winds. Children under the age of 3 years are very rarely affected by shingles.
The rash of shingles occurs only on one side of the body, as the virus travels down one particular nerve. Initially, you will notice groups of little red lumps, which form fluid-filled blisters. New crops form in the first 2-3 days. Over the next few days all these blisters gradually crust over. The rash appears more often on the torso than on the face or limbs. The child is generally not ill, and does not have a fever. The rash does not seem to worry him at all, and is not sore or itchy, in contrast to shingles in adults, which can be quite severe.
A child with shingles can easily spread chickenpox to others who have never been infected. Shingles itself cannot be spread to others, just the chickenpox virus. You should keep your child at home for a week or so, until the rash dries up. Make sure that people who visit your child while he has shingles have all previously had chickenpox.
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Tags: General health