Shingles
Most people with shingles develop a painful, one-sided rash followed by blisters.
What is Shingles?
Shingles is a disease that causes a rash that tends to surround a limited area on one half of the body in a belt-like manner, with blisters forming side by side on a reddened area, and is often accompanied by severe pain.
Why does shingles occur?
When we have chickenpox, the virus that causes it is still inside our body. When chickenpox is cured, the virus passes from our skin to our nerves and goes into a dormant phase in the nerve root.
This virus can be transmitted when the immune system is suppressed or when there is intense stress and sadness . If it ever returns to our skin , it causes a shingles rash instead of chickenpox. Most people with shingles have a painful, one-sided rash, a rash appears in which blistering wounds are traced.
What are the Symptoms of Shingles Disease?
How to treat shingles?
Is Shingles Contagious?
Getting the shingles vaccine can also greatly reduce your risk of infecting others. You can transmit the virus to others even if you have shingles blisters.
You cannot directly infect anyone with shingles; however , someone who has not had chickenpox can get chickenpox from someone who has had shingles. Anyone who has had the chickenpox vaccination has a much lower risk of developing chickenpox.
Because you are contagious while you have shingles blisters, it is extremely important to keep the rash covered and stay away from susceptible people. These are:
- Pregnant women
- Babies under 12 months
- Especially anyone who is ill with cancer or AIDS
- Anyone who has not had chickenpox
It is important to ensure contact isolation with these individuals ( no direct contact with the rash) . The risk of transmission should be reduced by frequent hand washing.
