Herpes Chicken Pox is a painful rash which is caused by Varicella zoster virus (Herpes varicellae). This virus also spreads chicken pox. Herpes chicken pox is also known as ‘Shingles’ or ‘Herpes Zoster’ and is mostly found in adults. Herpes Chicken Pox occurs to people who had already suffered from chicken pox earlier. Herpes Chicken Pox is just the reactivation of dormant virus. Herpes Chicken Pox generally occurs many years after initial infection of chicken pox. Herpes Chicken Pox is far more contagious than chicken pox as it has capacity to cause chicken pox itself.

Causes

After the Varicella virus contracts it moves from skin along nerve path to roots of skin where it becomes inactive and hides from immune system for years. This inactivity is known as latency. When this latent virus becomes active again it causes Herpes Chicken Pox. When virus reactivates it moves via nerve cells to the skin and causes the disease. Herpes Chicken Pox occurs normally in adults only, but in rare case when the child has suffered from chicken pox in early days of life then there can be a chance that he could suffer from this disease.

Symptoms

• The first signal for the reaction of chicken pox virus can be by burning sensation that occurs on the nerve path along which virus travels. Nerve path typically forms a half circle in body so burning sensation and corresponding rash are normally present on one side of body or face.
• Fever and enlarged lymph nodes accompany the rash that appears on skin.
• The procedure can be summarized as; first the pain begins two or three days after pain has begun a typical rash appears which is a small blister on red swollen skin. It is very much similar to the type that is seen during the attack of chicken pox but covers a small area.
  Within a period of 2-3 days rash reaches its peak. At that time blister busts and turns into sore which gradually scab over. The scab falls off after 2-3 weeks.
• In some cases, area where rash is formed becomes very painful after sore has gone and continue paining for many weeks or sometimes for months. This is after effect of Herpes Chicken Pox and is known as ‘prostherpetic neulagia’.