Herpes zoster and exposure to the varicella zoster virus in an era of varicella vaccination.

Objectives: We performed a case-control study to determine if participants with herpes zoster had fewer contacts with persons with varicella or zoster, and with young children, to explore the hypothesis that exposure to persons with varicella zoster virus (VZV) results in "immune boosting."

Methods: Participants were patients of the multispecialty Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin. We identified patients aged 40 to 79 years with a new diagnosis of zoster from August 2000 to July 2005.

Varicella vaccination and ischemic stroke in children: is there an association?

Background: Ischemic stroke is a known complication of varicella disease. Although there have been case reports of ischemic stroke after varicella vaccination, the existence and magnitude of any vaccine-associated risk has not been determined. OBJECTIVE.