Shingles

Painful skin rash caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox

Signs and Symptoms

Usually starts as a painful rash on one side of the face or body
The rash forms blisters that typically scab over in 7-10 days and clear up within 2-4 weeks
1-5 days before the rash appears, they may be pain, itching, or tingling in the area
Other symptoms include fever, headache, chills, and upset stomach

Spread

If you have had chickenpox, you can get shingles
- After recovering from chickenpox, the virus stays in your body but is inactive. Later in life, this virus can become active again causing shingles
You cannot transmit shingles person to person
However, the fluid from the shingles rash blisters can be transmitted to another person and cause chickenpox if they have never had chickenpox before
Shingles is less contagious than chickenpox, and there is low risk of transmission if the rash is covered

Treatment

Several antiviral medications are available from your doctor to treat shingles.
Analgesics (pain medicine) may help relieve the pain caused by shingles.
Wet compresses, calamine lotion, and colloidal oatmeal baths may help relieve some of the itching.
If you have shingles, you should cover the rash and wash your hands often to avoid spreading the virus.

Complications

The most common complication of shingles is a condition called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).
People with PHN have severe pain in the areas where they had the shingles rash, even after the rash clears up.
This could last for weeks, months, or years

Prevention