The Shingles Effect.

Herpes Zoster Virus also known as shingles, is a painful skin rash that adults get after having a mild case of the chickenpox as a child. In about 1 out of 5 people, the virus "wakes up," often many years after the chickenpox infection. The virus then travels along a sensory nerve into the skin causing a painful rash known as shingles.

Anyone who has had the chickenpox infection or vaccine can get shingles and the majority of people that get shingles are healthy. Nobody knows the causes of shingles or chickenpox however it is known that stress, fatigue, weak immune systems, cancer, radiation treatment, and injury to the skin where the rash occur are factors for the activation of the virus.

The first symptom of shingles is extreme sensitivity of the skin, itching, and burning. After 1 to 3 days red bumps and blisters appear where the pain occurred and will fill with pus and scabbing will last for a couple of weeks. Scars may also erupt.

Shingles can be treated with antivirus medication if caught early, and sometimes pain medication. There is no way to prevent shingles, a person can not contract the virus from a person with shingles only if that person has not yet had the chickenpox. The chickenpox vaccine can reduce a person from getting shingles by strengthening the immune system to fight off the virus or inactivate it.