Shingles (also called herpes zoster) is a viral infection that causes a painful, blistering rash, usually on one side of the body or face.

What shingles actually is

  • Itā€™s caused by the varicellaā€‘zoster virus, the same one that causes chickenpox.
  • After you recover from chickenpox, the virus ā€œsleepsā€ in your nerve cells and can reactivate years later as shingles.
  • Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles, but itā€™s more common after age 50 or in people with weaker immune systems.

Simple way to picture it: chickenpox is the first encounter with the virus; shingles is the comeback years later when your defenses are lower.

Main symptoms

  • Pain, burning, tingling, or itching in a strip or patch on one side of the body or face (often before the rash shows up).
  • A red rash that turns into clusters of fluidā€‘filled blisters, typically in a single band or stripe.
  • Blisters scab over in about 7ā€“10 days and usually clear in 2ā€“4 weeks.
  • You may also have fever, headache, chills, or fatigue.

Shingles can also appear around the eye (ophthalmic shingles), which can threaten vision and needs urgent medical care.

Is shingles contagious?

  • Shingles itself (the rash pattern) is not passed from person to person.
  • But the virus in the blisters can give someone who has never had chickenpox (or the chickenpox vaccine) chickenpox , not shingles.
  • Covering the rash, avoiding touching it, and washing hands often lowers the risk of spreading the virus.

Possible complications

  • Longā€‘term nerve pain in the area of the rash (postherpetic neuralgia) is the most common complication and can last months or longer.
  • Eye damage and vision problems if the eye is involved.
  • Less commonly, inflammation of the brain, facial paralysis, or balance/hearing issues.

People with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe or widespread shingles.

Treatment and prevention

  • Antiviral medicines (like acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir) can shorten how long shingles lasts and reduce complications if started early, ideally within 72 hours of rash onset.
  • Pain control may include painkillers, topical creams, or nerve pain medications, depending on severity.
  • A vaccine (for example, Shingrix) is recommended in many countries for older adults and is highly effective at preventing shingles and its complications.

If you (or someone you know) has a painful, oneā€‘sided rash or eye symptoms that might be shingles, itā€™s important to contact a healthcare professional quickly for proper diagnosis and early treatment.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.