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Case Report
Contemporaneous varicella and zoster or disseminated zoster? A diagnostic challenge in an HIV-positive child
Southern African Journal of Infectious Diseases | Vol 41, No 1 | a824 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajid.v41i1.824
| © 2026 Wendy Batyi, Tshepile Tlali, Preethi John, Matilda Mphahlele
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 17 February 2026 | Published: 25 May 2026
Submitted: 17 February 2026 | Published: 25 May 2026
About the author(s)
Wendy Batyi, Department of Dermatology, Tambo Memorial Hospital, Gauteng Department of Health, Johannesburg, South AfricaTshepile Tlali, Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa; and, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Preethi John, Department of Dermatology, Tambo Memorial Hospital, Gauteng Department of Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
Matilda Mphahlele, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Abstract
Primary infection with Varicella-Zoster virus causes varicella (chickenpox). Thereafter, following reactivation after a period of latency, it can cause zoster (shingles). Simultaneous occurrence of varicella and zoster is rare, particularly in children.
Contribution: We describe an 11-year-old girl, HIV-positive, but not receiving antiretrovirals, who presented with contemporaneous varicella and zoster, with the possibility of disseminated zoster also considered.
Keywords
varicella; zoster; Varicella-Zoster virus; contemporaneous; disseminated
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