Shingles is a painful skin rash, often with blisters. It is also
called Herpes Zoster or just Zoster. A shingles rash usually
appears on one side of the face or body and lasts from 2 to 4
weeks. Its main symptom is pain, which can be quite severe.
Other symptoms of shingles can include fever, headache, chills,
and upset stomach. Very rarely, a shingles infection can lead to
pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation
(encephalitis), or death. For about one person in five, severe
pain can continue even after the rash clears up. This is called
post-herpetic neuralgia. Shingles is caused by the Varicella
Zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Only
someone who has had chickenpox, or rarely, has gotten chickenpox
vaccine, can get shingles. The virus stays in your body, and can
cause shingles many years later. You can't catch shingles from
another person with shingles. However, a person who has never
had chickenpox (or chickenpox vaccine) could get chickenpox from
someone with shingles.