Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus within your body, so you cannot catch shingles from anyone else. However, if someone has not had chickenpox they may catch it from someone who has shingles.
Most people do not have any long-term effects, but for some people shingles can cause complications. The long-term nerve pain that some people experience after the shingles rash has healed, is known as post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN is the most frequent complication of shingles. This can be a severe, unpleasant, long-term nerve pain that is often described as burning, stabbing or throbbing. This can last weeks, months or for a few people, even years.1
For some people even a slight breeze against the skin can be painful and distressing. PHN can affect quality of life and the majority of sufferers say they have less enjoyment of life and find their sleep, work and social life disrupted. The older you are, the more likely you are to have long-lasting nerve pain.
Sometimes shingles can develop in the eye and/or affect the skin of the eyelid. This can cause severe pain and lead to decreased vision or, rarely, permanent blindness in the affected eye.
Shingles can also lead to other complications like scarring, skin infections or, rarely, hearing loss.1
Shingles is characterised by a painful rash, usually affecting one side of the body, most often on the trunk or torso, but shingles can also develop on the head and neck, or around the eye.1
The rash develops into painful, fluid-filled blisters, which burst, dry out and form scabs where the blisters have been.1
The severity of shingles varies from person to person and some people will require treatment to help ease the symptoms of shingles. There is no cure for shingles, but treatment can help ease your symptoms.
If you think you've developed shingles, see your GP as soon as possible. Early treatment may help reduce the severity of your symptoms. Your GP may prescribe pain relief medication and/or antiviral medication.
There is a 1 in 4 chance you could develop shingles at some point in your lifetime.2
It is not fully understood why the shingles virus reactivates in some people and not others, but it is thought to be due to a lower immune system.1
The immune system weakens with age, and so the chance of developing shingles increases as we get older. 2 out of 3 shingles cases occur in people over 50 years of age, and it also tends to be more severe in people over 50 years of age. 3
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus within your body, so you cannot catch shingles from anyone else. However, if someone has not had chickenpox they may catch it from someone who has shingles.
You can catch shingles from someone with chickenpox
Shingles only affects old or ill people
I can’t get shingles because I can’t remember having chickenpox
I’ve already had shingles so I can’t get it again
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus within your body, so you cannot catch shingles from anyone else. However, if someone has not had chickenpox they may catch it from someone who has shingles. 1
Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles. The chances of developing shingles are very low before the age of 50, although young and otherwise healthy people do sometimes develop shingles. The immune system weakens with age and so the chance of developing shingles increases as we get older.
If you have definitely never had chickenpox you can’t develop shingles. However, some people don’t know whether or not they had chickenpox as a child, because the infection may have been so mild it didn’t cause any obvious symptoms. You can still develop shingles even if you have only had a very mild case of chickenpox.
Unfortunately, some people can suffer from more than one episode of shingles, so if you've had Shingles before, it's still important to talk to your healthcare professional about your risk of getting it again.
The desire to remain in good health connects us all. At Sanofi Pasteur MSD, we believe that vaccination is a way to move Europe forward towards a future where people can stay ahead of disease. Vaccines are our passion because we know that they are the key to a world in better health.
We are dedicated to individual and public health and we stand for equal access to vaccines for all. In developing vaccines across Europe, we are committed to being a trusted partner to policy makers, authorities, experts, healthcare professionals and those using our vaccines. We strive to understand the needs and expectations of all of our stakeholders, and our actions are driven by the common goals we share.
If you would like to know more about shingles, its causes and symptoms, as well as a guide to sorting facts from myths, please click below to download the information booklet, '10 burning questions about shingles' for further information.
Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) can be a severe, unpleasant long term nerve pain. It is often described as burning, stabbing or throbbing, even a slight breeze against the skin can be painful and distressing.
Chronic nerve pain can affect quality of life. The majority of sufferers find their sleep, work and social life disrupted.
For some this nerve pain can last weeks, months or for a few people even years. Like shingles itself, the risk of developing long- lasting nerve pain increases as you get older.
x
The desire to remain in good health connects us all. At Sanofi Pasteur MSD, we believe that vaccination is a way to move Europe forward towards a future where people can stay ahead of disease. Vaccines are our passion because we know that they are the key to a world in better health.
We are dedicated to individual and public health and we stand for equal access to vaccines for all. In developing vaccines across Europe, we are committed to being a trusted partner to policy makers, authorities, experts, healthcare professionals and those using our vaccines. We strive to understand the needs and expectations of all of our stakeholders, and our actions are driven by the common goals we share.
