|
What is shingles?
Shingles, or herpes zoster, is caused by the
chicken pox virus that remains in the nerve roots of all persons who
had chickenpox and can come out in your body again years later to
cause illness.
Shingles is more common after the age
of 50 and the risk increases with advancing age. Shingles causes
numbness, itching or severe pain followed by clusters of
blister-like lesions in a strip-like pattern on one side of your
body. The pain can persist for weeks, months or years after the rash
heals and is then known as post-herpetic neuralgia.
Is shingles contagious?
Yes, people with shingles are contagious to
persons who have not had chickenpox. Therefore, people who have not
had chickenpox can catch chickenpox if they have close contact with
a person who has shingles. However, you can not catch shingles
itself from someone else. Shingles is caused by the chickenpox virus
which has been dormant (staying quiet) in your body ever since you
had chickenpox. So, you get shingles from your own chickenpox virus,
not from someone else.
What should I do if I get shingles?
Contact your health care provider as
soon as possible to discuss treatment with antiviral medications.
These medications are most effective if given as soon as possible
after rash onset.
Can someone who has been vaccinated for
chickenpox develop shingles?
Yes. However, a study conducted among
children with leukemia determined that after receiving the vaccine
these children were much less likely to develop shingles than
children who had prior natural chickenpox. Available information
from healthy children and adults suggest that shingles is less
common in vaccinated healthy persons compared with persons who have
had natural chickenpox.
Is there a vaccine available to prevent or
modify shingles?
No; however, a study is currently underway with a new formulation of
the chickenpox vaccine to determine whether vaccination of persons
older than 55 years of age will reduce the frequency and/or severity
of shingles in adults. Results from this study will be available in
about 5 years.
|