What is Herpes Zoster and is it related to chicken pox?
Herpes zoster is a painful rash that is caused by the same virus as chicken pox. However, it usually occurs after the person has had chicken pox. The reason for this is that after we get chicken pox, the virus may not be entirely eliminated from the body. The virus may, instead, reside dormant in certain nerves of the body. Then for reasons not entirely understood, the virus becomes active again, but this time only causes problems in certain parts of the body rather than all over the body like in chicken pox. The symptoms of herpes zoster depend upon which area of the body is affected. It usually manifests itself as a painful rash occurring along the chest, abdomen, or back. However, it may occur anywhere on the body. The rash is red and has little fluid filled vesicles which eventually pop and crust over much like the vesicles in chicken pox do.
