How does shingles spread on your body

Symptoms of shingles include burning or shooting pain, tingling or itching, chills, fever, headache, upset stomach, and rashes or blisters that develop on one side of the body, usually on your face or around your waist.

There are medicines that may help. Healthy adults age 50 and older should talk to their healthcare professional about getting the shingles vaccine to reduce their risk.

Generally shingles is not contagious, but a person with active shingles can spread the virus when the rash is in the blister phase. It's important to keep the rash covered. Teens and adults aged 13 years or older who have never had chicken pox or the vaccine, but who would like to, should receive two doses of the varicella vaccination at least 28 days apart.

Some people should not have the chicken pox vaccine. They include pregnant women and people who currently have a moderate or severe illness.

Vaccination against shingles is available for adults who are 50 or older and who have had chicken pox or are not sure whether they have had it. The shingles vaccine is available to people who meet these criteria, regardless of whether they have already had shingles. The options available are:. Some people should not have the vaccine. They include pregnant or breastfeeding women and people who currently have active shingles.

Anyone who is unsure whether they should receive the shingles vaccine can consult a healthcare provider. Is it a good idea to vaccinate? Find out here. However, a person can transmit the virus through the fluid within shingles blisters. A person who has never had chicken pox may develop it, and later shingles, after coming into contact with this fluid. This transmission is not possible before the shingles blisters develop or after they dry up and scab.

Anyone who has had chicken pox can develop shingles. They cannot catch shingles from another person, but certain risk factors may cause the dormant virus to reactivate. People with weakened immune systems have a higher chance of developing shingles and related complications. They also have a higher risk of developing shingles more than once. Receiving the varicella vaccination during childhood is the best way to reduce the risk of developing chicken pox and shingles.

Older people who have already had chicken pox should consider having herpes zoster vaccination from the age of 50 years. This reduces the risk of developing shingles and related complications.

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a rash, which can be painful. There are several home remedies that may provide relief from the symptoms…. Shingles usually causes a painful, blistering rash. It can also cause internal symptoms, appear without a rash, and may spread to internal organs. Shingles results in a painful, itchy rash that can lead to blistering and permanent nerve damage.

Medications can treat the condition, but many people…. You cannot spread shingles to others. But people who have not had chickenpox before could catch chickenpox from you. Stay off work or school if the rash is still oozing fluid weeping and cannot be covered, or until the rash has dried out.

You can only spread the infection to other people while the rash oozes fluid. If you're pregnant and get shingles, there's no danger to your pregnancy or baby. But you should be referred to a specialist, as you may need antiviral treatment.

But you can get chickenpox from someone with shingles if you have not had chickenpox before. When people get chickenpox, the virus remains in the body. But it can reactivate again years later. This could cause the person to develop shingles. Read on to learn more about shingles and how to prevent the spread of the varicella-zoster virus.

The varicella-zoster virus can typically spread from a person with shingles to someone who has never had chickenpox. If a person has had chickenpox , they usually have antibodies against the virus in their body. Shingles causes open, oozing blisters. This could lead to chickenpox. Once the blisters scab, they can no longer pass on the virus. Most people have the varicella-zoster virus in their bodies. But the National Institute on Aging says that it only reactivates in around one-third of them, so only one in three people with the virus will have shingles.

However, the chance of this happening increases as a person gets older. Around half of all cases occur after the age of 60 years, and the risk increases significantly from 70 onward. Early shingles symptoms can include:. The most noticeable symptoms are blisters and pain. The outward symptoms of shingles look a lot like a case of chickenpox. Both diseases cause raised blisters that open, ooze fluid, and crust over. But unlike the chickenpox rash, which can occur on different parts of your body, shingles usually affects one area of your body.

Shingles blisters are most prevalent on your torso, where they wrap around your waist on one side of your body. The shingles rash may also appear on one side of your face. If this happens, contact a doctor immediately. Shingles travels along a nerve path, causing pain and strange sensations. Itching and sensitivity to touch are also symptoms of shingles.

Shingles pain varies in severity. It can be difficult to treat with over-the-counter pain medications. Your doctor might prescribe antidepressants or steroids. These two types of drugs can successfully relieve nerve pain in some people.

A shingles outbreak usually lasts 3 to 5 weeks. Most people experience pain and discomfort for a short period and then make a full recovery.