What are shingles?

What are shingles?

In adults, the chickenpox virus (varicella zoster) can become active again. When that happens, it causes an illness caused shingles. People "catch" shingles from their own chickenpox virus. People who have shingles can spread chickenpox to people who haven’t had chickenpox. However, you can’t get shingles unless you’ve had chickenpox.

Shingles is also called herpes zoster, but it’s not the same as genital herpes. Like chickenpox, it looks like a rash made up of small bumps. Shingles can be painful and can take a while to heal. It will usually go away on its own in a week or two. There are vaccines to prevent shingles. Talk to your healthcare provider to see which one is right for you.