Justin Bieber's facial paralysis - Ramsay Hunt syndrome virus can also cause hearing loss

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber left fans in tears as he announced that his face is partially paralyzed by a viral condition called Ramsay Hunt syndrome, caused by the same virus, varicella-zoster, that causes chicken pox and shingles.

The virus that attacked the singer, is a rare neurological disorder that occurs when the varicella-zoster virus infects a nerve in the head near the inner ear.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome can also cause hearing loss on the side of the face affected. Like Bieber, it can also cause a weakness, facial droop or paralysis on the side of the face which has been attacked by the virus.

That weakness can cause difficulty with closing one eye, making facial expressions and eating, as food can fall out of the side of the weakened mouth.

After having chickenpox as a child or shingles as an adult, the virus can lay dormant in the body. Why the virus reactivates and produces symptoms of Ramsay Hunt is not known.

The virus can include a painful rash inside the ear canal and outside the ear, at times attacking the tongue and roof of the mouth, according to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Due to the inner ear involvement, people with the condition can also suffer vertigo (the sensation of dizziness or things spinning around you), or tinnitus, a ringing in the ear.

Treatment, according to CNN report, consists of steroids such as prednisone to reduce inflammation and pain medication. At time, antiviral medicines that help with the herpes family, such as acyclovir or valacyclovir may be prescribed. Full recovery is not certain. Some recover in a few months, though. The earlier it is caught the better the chance of recovery.

Hailey Bieber's hubby told fans in a YouTube video Friday that the virus had attacked "the nerve in my ear, facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis. You can see this eye is not blinking. I can't smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move."

Justin Bieber assured fans that he is "gonna get better" and that he was doing "facial exercises to get my face back to normal."