hi from thebody. com found you this. shingles is a very painful disease caused by the same herpes virus that causes chicken pox (varicella zoster virus). like other herpes viruses the varicella-zoster virus has an initial infectious stage (chicken pox) followed by a dormant stage. then with no warning the virus becomes active again. about 20% of people who have had chicken pox will eventually develop shingles. this reactivation of the virus is most likely to occur in people with a weakened immune system. this includes people with hiv disease and anyone over 50 years old. does this help you as an answer? good luck
what is the difference between shingles and herpes the sexually trasmitted disease?