Incidence of herpes zoster and seroprevalence of varicella-zoster virus in young adults of South Korea.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to determine the incidence of herpes zoster and seroprevalence of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in young adults of South Korea, where VZV seroprevalence remains relatively high. METHODS: In South Korea, military service is compulsory for all healthy young men and hence those in military service might provide a reflection of the general population. The computerized database of the Armed Forces Medical Command was examined to identify the number of reported herpes zoster cases. In order to evaluate VZV seroprevalence, serum samples were obtained from randomly selected subjects among those who had been admitted to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. RESULTS: A total of 705 cases of herpes zoster were reported between June 2004 and May 2005. The annual incidence rate of herpes zoster was 141 (95% CI 131.0-151.8) per 100000 population. A total of 192 subjects were enrolled for the analysis of VZV seroprevalence. All subjects were male and their median age was 21 (range 19-24) years. The overall anti-VZV IgG seropositivity prevalence was 92.7% (178/192, 95% CI 88.0-95.7%). CONCLUSION: We have described a population-based study of the epidemiology of VZV infections in the military personnel of South Korea.