Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, called varicella-zoster. In fact, you can only get Shingles if you’ve had chickenpox. That’s because when chickenpox heals, the virus that caused it remains in your body. It lies dormant (asleep) in your nervous system, but can reactivate (awaken) at any time.
It’s your immune system’s job to keep the Shingles virus in check
Getting older and other factors can weaken your immune system. This allows the Shingles virus to travel down your nervous system and resurface on your skin as a painful, blistering rash. Shingles most commonly occurs on one side of the back extending to the waist, but it can appear anywhere on the body. It doesn’t matter how healthy you feel; Shingles can happen to you.
Symptoms
The painful, blistering Shingles rash can appear when you least expect it and may range from mild to severe. Typically, the blisters are found on one side of the body, such as:
Waist
Arm or Leg
Around the eye and in it
Forehead
Neck
Back
The Shingles rash can last up to 30 days. And while the pain typically lessens as the rash heals, for some people it can last for months or even years. People have described Shingles pain as sharp, burning, stabbing, throbbing, shooting, and itching.
ZOSTAVAX is a single shot vaccine for adults 50 years of age or older that helps to boost the immune system against Shingles.
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