Reoccurrence of shingles in a child

My daughter is 7 years old.  She had chicken pox, a severe case when she was 9 months old.  
Last September, when she was 7, she came down with shingles, which was confirmed by a dermatoligist.  The shingles started on her shoulder and ran down her arm with numerous clusters around her hand and even under her fingernails.
This week she had another case of the shingles, this time on her face, confirmed by her pediatrician.
My question is...
This appears to be uncommon for children to have shingles, much less have shingles more than once.  She is scheduled for her annual exam in April and I was wondering if any special tests should be done to figure out why she continues to have this.  Reading the subject material on the internet makes me have concerns but I do not know where to go from here.  Any input is appreciated.

Thank  you in advance.

[CCF Neuro[P] MD, RPS]

Dear Carol:  

I am sorry to hear about your daughter's shingles.  When a person has severe chicken pox, the number of viral particles remaining in the nerve is likely great.  Under conditions of stress, whether that be emotional or physicial there is a chance that our immune system is compromised enough to allow the activation of the virus.  Unfortunatly, this is a life long worry.  Most of the time, our immune system is able to prevent the re-activation of the virus.  But when it is not, an outbreak can happen (not always, and the condition can vary from individual to individual).  For instance, a child with asthma who requires steriods to keep his/her asthma in check is very prone to have outbreaks of shingles during times of stress.  There are immundeficiencies that are inherited or acquired (such as mentioned above, or diabetes, or pregnancy) that can also predispose a person to have outbreads of shingles.  Not knowing your daughter's medical history makes it difficult for me to tell you what tests to check for, but I am sure your pediatrician is very aware of what is happening and will do the appropriate testing.

Sincerely,

CCF Neuro MD

[Michelle]

Dear Carol,
I am not a medical doctor.  But my daughter also had the shingles.  When my daughter was one month old, her older sister had the chicken pox.  My infant did not get the chicken pox and my pediatrician said it was probably due to the fact that I was breast feeding her.  Then when she was three years old she had a week long bout of diarrhea and had lost a little weight.  Immediatly following this she came down with a case of the shingles on her lower back.  It was a dreadful time and she was in alot of pain.  Anyway, she is nine now and hasn't had another attack of shingles. Her pediatrician did a "tine" test (I'm not sure I'm spelling it right).  But this test checks to see if your body is immune to chicken pox.  She was immune.  But if she wasn't immune, the doctor wanted to give her the chicken pox vaccine to keep her from getting shingles again.  Hope this helps.
Also, when she had the shingles, her pediatrician gave her a medicine that began with a Z (sorry I don't remember what is was called) but it helped clear up the shingles fast!!

[reba]

The medication is called Zovirax, or Acyclovir. I have the same problem, and I break out repeatedly every year. The Zovirax shortens the length of the outbreak for me, and it seems to decrease the severity of it if I catch it in the early stages.
Sorry to hear that your daughter is having such a hard time. Has your pediatrician done any immunology tests?(IGg, IGm, etc.)