Key result
Live varicella vaccine linked to shingles at the vaccination site 3.5 years later.
Why the study?
Shingles is rare in children and can rarely lead to fatal outcomes, prompting discussion of whether infection localized near the varicella vaccination site represents a live vaccine complication.
Case Report (n=1)
Live varicella vaccine may rarely cause shingles in the dermatome of the injection site in immunocompetent children.
A literature review was conducted on the shingles infection that developed on the left arm of a 4-and-a-half-year-old boy who had been vaccinated against chickenpox at the age of one, and it was discussed as a potential complication of the live vaccine or an alternative explanation. The localization of shingles in our patient, along with its limited dermatomal distribution related to the area where the varicella vaccine was administered, suggests that it may be due to the vaccine virus. Our patient recovered rapidly with the use of antiviral agents. Because shingles, a disease typically seen in adults, is rare in children, and because there are very few cases in the literature that can progress and lead to fatal outcomes, this case is brought to the attention of pediatricians, dermatologists, and family physicians. The fact that the live varicella vaccine is administered uniformly worldwide may provide insight into whether future cases of shingles are related to the vaccine, and suggestions were made in the article.
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Tuncer et al. (2025) conducted a case report in Herpes zoster (shingles) (n=1). Varicella vaccine was evaluated on Development of herpes zoster. A 4.5-year-old boy developed a shingles infection on his left arm, corresponding to the C5 and C6 dermatomes, 3.5 years after receiving a live varicella vaccine.
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