The infection becomes more pronounced in severity in people whose immune systems are compromised, e.g., in patients who have AIDS, cancer or other diseases, or who have undergone an organ transplant. HSV2 can be fatal to infants born to mothers who test positive for the disease and are experiencing an outbreak during delivery. The most common neurologic condition known is herpes zoster, usually referred to as shingles. The CDC says that up to one million people in the United States contract herpes zoster each year. David Cooper, M.D., a contributing editor to JAMA, stated in 1998 that shingles afflicts more than one million people every year.
Herpes zoster is a reactivation of the virus that causes chicken pox.
Traveling through the ganglia, it causes a tingling, stinging or burning sensation. A couple days later, once the virus has completed its journey to the skin, an irritating and painful rash and accompanying blisters may erupt. The resulting condition can be so painful, the patient may be unable to tolerate clothing or anything that touches the affected area.