what is shingles disease

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in the body and can reactivate years later, causing shingles. Shingles typically looks like a single stripe of blisters that wraps around the left or right side of the torso, but it can occur anywhere on the body. The rash consists of blisters that typically scab over in 7 to 10 days and fully clear up. Shingles can cause other symptoms such as headache, fever, chills, and upset stomach. It is more common in older adults and in people who have weakened immune systems. Complications of shingles can include postherpetic neuralgia, vision loss, and bacterial infection of the rash. There is a vaccine called Shingrix that can help prevent shingles and its complications, and it is recommended for healthy adults 50 years and older.