 |
Immunization & Child
Profile Office |
 |
|
|
Immunization & Child
Profile Office |
|
Shingles is a painful skin rash caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Only someone who has had chickenpox can get shingles. A shingles rash often includes blisters and usually appears on one side of the face or body and lasts from two to four weeks. The virus stays in your body and it can reappear many years later and cause shingles. Very rarely, a shingles infection can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis), or death.
The main symptom of shingles is pain, which can be severe. About one in five people experience severe pain that continues even after the rash clears up.
Other symptoms of shingles can include:
You can’t catch shingles from another person. However, a person who has never had chickenpox (or chickenpox vaccine) could get chickenpox from someone with shingles. This is not very common. Shingles is far more common in people aged 50 and older than in younger people. It is also more common in people whose immune systems are weakened because of a disease, such as cancer, or from drugs, like steroids or chemotherapy. In the United States, at least 1 million people get shingles each year.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Medline Plus:
Last Update: 01/09/2012 11:08 AM