“So for those who are frustrated with my cancellations for the next shows, I’m physically, obviously I can not do them,” he said. “This is very serious as you can see.” Bieber said he did facial exercises to try to regain movement, but it will take time for him to recover. “I wish it were not so, but obviously my body is telling me I need to slow down,” he said. “I hope you understand, and I use this time to rest and relax and get back to 100% so I can do what I was born to do. But in the meantime, that’s not it.” The virus that causes Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is called the varicella-zoster virus, which belongs to the herpes virus family. is the same pathogen behind chickenpox in children and shingles in adults, according to the National Agency for Rare Disorders. It is not clear how Bieber contracted the virus, but it is possible he contracted the virus several years ago during a period of chickenpox. The virus, which is not contagious, can remain dormant in your body for years before reactivating and spreading to a facial nerve near your ear, progressing to either shingles or, in some cases, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, for unknown reasons. As in the case of Bieber, people with RHS usually have some degree of paralysis or weakness on one side of the face and a rash on the outside of the ear, although both symptoms are not guaranteed. Other symptoms that may accompany RHS include ringing in the ears, temporary hearing loss, nausea, vomiting, dry eyes, earache and loss of taste. The syndrome affects about 5 in 100,000 people in the United States each year, according to the National Agency for Rare Disorders, although its prevalence may be underestimated because cases are often misdiagnosed. Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop RHS at some point, most likely in adulthood. Most cases occur in the elderly. children are rarely affected. Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir or famciclovir – both of which are used to treat herpes virus infections – along with corticosteroids can treat RHS. However, some symptoms could become permanent, such as facial paralysis and hearing loss. Eye drops can help protect the cornea from drying out if people can not blink, as with Bieber. In his message, he said it was not clear how long it might take to get better. “It will be okay,” Bieber said. “I hope, and I trust God and I believe that everything will happen, everything for some reason.”
