About 1 person in 5 will develop shingles at some time. How long is a person contagious? It usually affects people over the age of 50, but it's possible to get it at a younger age.. About a third of US adults over 50 develop shingles, but unlike chickenpox, the condition is rarely spread between people. These people will develop chickenpox, not shingles. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles outbreaks usually last 3–5 weeks.In the first few days, a person may not have a rash. Shingles rash on the neck Source: PHIL Photo ID# 18254. Shingles is an itchy skin rash caused by the same virus as chickenpox. BE. For most people, the rash will clear within 2 to 4 weeks. Even after the rash is gone, the pain can continue for months, even years. Shingles Overview. Shingles triggers a painful rash or small blisters on an area of skin. How is the shingles virus spread? A rash on both sides of your body is unlikely to be shingles. Warning: Viewing discretion is advised. This happens if you come in contact with the fluid from shingles blisters. Having shingles doesn’t mean you have any other underlying disease. If you have not had chickenpox, you can’t get shingles. A few days later, the blisters dry out and scab over. Shingles usually occurs from inside your own body when the chickenpox virus reactivates. BertB 18 Feb 2019. Shingles is a painful skin condition caused by the same virus as chickenpox. One in three people will get shingles … The skin remains painful until after the rash has gone. Shingles on waist. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a viral infection caused by the chickenpox virus. Valtrex (valacyclovir) is an antiviral drug. There are four different stages of shingles, including a skin-blistering phase during which you can spread the disease to other people. Later in life, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles. Cover up the area of your body that has shingles with a bandage. Unlike chickenpox, the virus is not airborne and cannot be spread by coughing and sneezing. How Do You Get Shingles? Shingles Symptoms: Nausea. It slows the growth and spread of the herpes virus to help the body fight the infection. How do you prevent shingles? Shingles is less contagious than chickenpox and the risk of a person with shingles spreading the virus is low if the rash is covered. Shingles is a skin rash characterised by pain and blistering which usually appears on one side of the face or body. The virus responsible for shingles can be spread to a person who has not had chickenpox disease or vaccinations when a person comes into contact with the fluid contained in the blisters, either directly or indirectly. Hand washing is the best way to avoid spreading shingles. Although the rash will clear on its own, treatment is important. Copy and paste these messages into social media to help spread the word about shingles: #Shingles is a painful skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Preventing shingles in the eye. Small blisters form and fill with fluid. Is shingles contagious? They may develop shingles that spreads to involve more parts of the body, or shingles rashes that persist for long periods or return frequently. Click on the social media icons above, or copy and paste the URL and post it to your account (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). The varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles can spread to others causing chickenpox in patients who have not had it in the past. The shingles rash stays somewhat localized to an area; it does not spread over your whole body. Valtrex is used to treat infections caused by herpes viruses, including genital herpes, cold sores, and shingles (herpes zoster) in adults. You can spread shingles to other parts of your body, although this is rare. Though shingles can appear almost anywhere on the body, it most commonly affects the torso and the face (including the eyes, ears, and mouth). Two to four days before the rash occurs there may be tingling or local pain in the area. Additional Images and Regulations. As you age, though, there's an increasing risk that the virus will reactivate, resulting in shingles. When it comes to shingles – and especially ocular shingles – prevention is the best medicine. Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles, because the virus is already in their body. It is not possible to catch shingles from someone experiencing a shingles outbreak. Please understand that shingles is in my regular experience, every few months, not confined to one side of the body. You can only get shingles if you have had chickenpox in the past. Shingles usually starts as a rash on one side of the face or body. Before the rash develops, there is often pain, itching, or tingling in the area where the rash will develop. Symptoms include pain and a rash on one side of the body. If you've had chickenpox, the virus can lie dormant in your body's nerve tissue for years when suddenly it's triggered by stress or a weakened immune system, and manifests as shingles. Rash starts to clear: As the rash clears, the blisters may crack open, bleed, and scab over. I have had it on the classic belt around the back ribs and on one side. Shingles usually appears in a recognizable belt-like or girdle pattern along the left or right side of the body. Can you spread shingles? It most often affects people over 50 years old, and outbreaks usually last for 3 to 5 weeks. The rash consists of little vesicles of clear fluid on a red base. Shingles outbreaks are almost always on just one side of the body. Shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Many such individuals are helped by taking antiviral medications on a continuous basis. Photos of People with Shingles. This is necessary if you go out in public. Some people get more blisters after the rash appears, so it can seem that the rash is spreading. Shingles on face. People with shingles may have pain, itching, tingling, and blisters in one area of the body that can last weeks. Misinformation gets spread around and can cause a lot of harm. If you have not had chickenpox, you can be infected with chickenpox from someone who has shingles. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide stripe either on the left or right side of the body or face. Within a few days, a rash appears on the skin area related to the inflamed nerve. Shingles can be very painful and debilitating. Shingles on face . The rash starts as blisters that scab after seven to ten days. You may be among the 99% of people over the age of 50 years who have the shingles virus, since the virus that causes chickenpox also causes shingles. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Share this infographic and help spread the word about shingles. Here's what you need to know about how shingles develops and how to protect yourself from getting it. Shingles is a painful skin condition caused by the same virus as chickenpox. When you get over chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus stays in your body, but remains dormant, often for many years and possibly for life. Right now, there is no way of knowing who will get the disease. If it affects your eye, the shingles can also make your eye red and sore, affect your sight or hearing, or make it difficult to move one side of your face. This characteristic rash is in a stripe or band-like pattern that affects only one side of the body (the right or the left), and it usually does not cross over the midline. What causes shingles? It can appear anywhere on the body, but it typically appears on only one side of the face or body. However, a person who has shingles anywhere on the body (a rash) can transmit chickenpox virus to someone who hasn't had chickenpox or been vaccinated. Shingles can appear anywhere on the body. It stays dormant in sensory nerve roots, and in about one-third of us, reactivates later in life as shingles. But, some things make it more likely: Advanced age. The blotches become itchy blisters that ooze fluid. Someone with shingles can’t spread shingles to another person, but they can spread chickenpox. Child with shingles who had a history of leukemia. Burning or shooting pain and tingling or itching are early signs of the infection. The chickenpox virus stays in the body even after recovery. Ocular shingles is not contagious; it cannot be spread to another person. Share on Pinterest The virus that causes shingles can spread to other people. Shingles usually appears as a stripe of irritated skin and blisters on one side of the chest or back, but it can occur anywhere on the body, including on the face and near the eyes. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which first enters the body as chickenpox (which nearly every adult over 40 had as a child) and never leaves. The shingles rash develops into painful blisters that may also be itchy, usually on one side of the body, either on the face, chest, back, abdomen or pelvis. Everyone who has had chickenpox has VZV in their body and is at risk for getting shingles. The rash usually clears within two to four weeks. They can take several weeks to settle. Anyone that has previously had chickenpox may subsequently have an outbreak of shingles. Shingles, also called zoster or herpes zoster, is a skin rash caused by a viral infection of the nerves just below the skin. If you have not not previously had chickenpox and touch the fluid within blisters that appear in someone with shingles, (for example by hugging them) you could end up with chickenpox. People taking immunosuppressive drugs, or with diseases such as HIV or leukemia, should see a doctor immediately for treatment to avoid possible serious complications. To develop shingles, you have to catch chickenpox first, which typically happens in childhood. It most often affects people over 50 years old, and outbreaks usually last for 3 to 5 weeks.. It is often present in the area of the ribcage or the waist. Share on Social Media. They appear linear because they follow the distribution of a single nerve. Shingles itself is not contagious. Shingles involves a painful rash. Learn More. Shingles is a reactivation of the chickenpox virus (varicella-zoster virus, or VZV), and causes a painful, itchy rash in one place on the body. Other symptoms of shingles can include fever, headache, chills, and upset stomach. If you have shingles, you can spread the varicella virus to people who have never had chickenpox or never received the chickenpox vaccine. The main areas affected may be on one side but both sides can have the shingles rash. These photo of people with shingles show the shingles rash on various places on the body.