Myths About Shingles

Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a painful disease that causes blisters and nerve sensitivity, sometimes with chronic effects. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox.

Rash

• Shingles is commonly associated with a rash, which is often considered its worst problem. However, the debilitating pain associated with shingles can last long after the rash has gone.

Rarity

• Shingles is perceived as rare, but it is not. According to the National Foundation For Infectious Diseases, 20 percent of Americans will suffer from shingles.

Prevention

• Far from being unavoidable, shingles can actually be prevented against. However, according to the Center for Disease Control, the FDA has a vaccine that can be used by those older than 60 years.

Age

• Shingles is not just for seniors. While shingles affects older people more often than younger, it can actually be contracted by anybody. If your immune system is somehow compromised, you are at greater risk.

Chicken Pox

• Shingles is caused by the same virus as chicken pox, but is not the same disease. Shingles is a reactivated chicken pox that crops up years after the initial infection.

Contagion

• Some believe that shingles is not infectious, but they are only partly correct. Shingles itself cannot be passed to another person. However, the original chicken pox virus can be passed to someone who is not already immune to it.