For the vast majority of us, chicken pox is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. But for roughly 1 million unlucky people, it can resurface as a painful skin rash called shingles, also known as herpes zoster.

When you get infected with chicken pox, the virus—varicella-zoster—never completely leaves the body, even after you heal. It lies dormant in nerve cells for years and even decades until, for reasons experts aren’t exactly sure of, it reactivates. People age 50 or older or those with compromised immune systems, such as those with cancer or AIDS, are most vulnerable.

The virus travels across nerve pathways to the skin, where it manifests as reddish bumps. Because shingles follows the nerve, this rash usually appears on only one side of the body, in the area of a skin nerve. After a few days, it develops into fluid-filled blisters and may be accompanied by fever, chills, nausea, and diarrhea. Although the blisters break open and crust over every week, a case of shingles can last for a few weeks. In some 15 percent of cases, pain can linger for 1 to 3 months, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia.

Shingles typically goes away on its own, but a physician can prescribe antiviral medication to speed recovery and pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs to ease the pain. If the condition spreads to the eye, it can leave scars that can damage vision and lead to glaucoma.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. In Italy, shingles is called Saint Anthony’s fire (fuoco di Sant’Antonio).
  2. In 2006, a vaccine to prevent shingles was introduced on the market. Two years later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all people ages 60 and older receive the vaccine.