I was at Physio doing my neuromuscular stimulation when i chanced upon an article in ACQ that sent a shiver down my spine. Yes! The dreaded Ramsay Hunt syndrome-caused by an absolutely microscopic but fearsome organism – Herpes zoster oticus virus (chicken pox virus).
Read on…
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, occurs in 20% of the general population, affecting as many as one million Americans yearly. More than 1 in every 10 people who have had chicken pox as children will get shingles as adults. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, or the chickenpox virus. This virus lies dormant in the body near the spinal cord and the nerve ganglia until something, usually severe stress or a weakened immune system, reactivates it. Once reactivated, the virus travels along the nerve paths, destroying these paths as it goes, to the skin where it erupts into a rash.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, occurs in 20% of the general population, affecting as many as one million Americans yearly. More than 1 in every 10 people who have had chicken pox as children will get shingles as adults. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, or the chickenpox virus. This virus lies dormant in the body near the spinal cord and the nerve ganglia until something, usually severe stress or a weakened immune system, reactivates it. Once reactivated, the virus travels along the nerve paths, destroying these paths as it goes, to the skin where it erupts into a rash.
All of us, with the exception of Jane came down with chicken pox. i rememberedcoming down with chicken pox on my birthday in Pri4. Like all spoilt brats i wanted a McDonald’s party celebration complete with a happy meal goodie bag at United Square .Back then it was the ‘cool’ thing to do. All my classmates had their fun parties, i wanted one too. Of course, i came down with chicken pox after chiew Yan (my then good friend in SCGS) unwittingly passed the virus to me. I desperately tried applying Clinique concealer on the tell tale spots on my face. Alas, wise mum said it was best to cancel the party lest moi spread the disease to a dozen other frens.
That’s it! I’m asking Daddy to jab all of us with the Shingles vaccine (zostavax) or varicella vaccination -latency of the chickenpoz virus in the geniculate ganglion cannot occur in the absence of vesicles in the pinna or tongue.
God save us from these ghastly ailments!
