Explanation:

Shingles is indeed contagious. Shingles is contagious and can be spread from an affected person to babies, children, or adults who have not had chickenpox. But instead of developing shingles, these people develop chickenpox.

Explanation:

Shingles is a skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. This virus is called the varicella zoster virus (VZV) and belongs to the herpes family of viruses.

Explanation:

The herpes virus that causes shingles and chickenpox is not the same as the herpes simplex viruses that cause genital herpes (which can be sexually transmitted) or herpes mouth sores. Shingles is medically termed herpes zoster.

Explanation:

Before a rash is visible, the patient may notice several days to a week of burning pain and sensitive skin. Shingles rash starts as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for 3 to 5 days. Eventually, the blisters pop, and the area starts to ooze. The affected areas will then crust over and heal. On occasion, burning pain will be present, but blisters may never appear.

Explanation:

The most common complication of shingles is nerve pain (postherpetic neuralgia).

Explanation:

Drugs that fight viruses are called antiviral medications. Some of the available antivirals on the market, including acyclovir (Zovirax®), valacyclovir (Valtrex®), and famciclovir (Famvir®), can reduce the severity and duration of the rash if started early (within 72 hours of the appearance of the rash). In addition to antiviral medications, pain medications may be needed for symptom control. Both nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and narcotic pain-control medications may be used for pain management in shingles.

Explanation:

In May 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine for adult shingles. The vaccine, known as Zostavax®, is approved for use in adults ages 60 and over who have had chickenpox. The shingles vaccine contains a booster dose of the chickenpox vaccine usually given to children. Tests over an initial four-year period showed that the vaccine significantly reduced the incidence of shingles in these older adults. Studies are ongoing to evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine over a longer term.

Explanation:

The duration of the outbreak may take 3 to 4 weeks from start to finish.

Explanation:

Once a person has had chickenpox, people cannot catch shingles (or contract the virus) from someone else. If you have had chickenpox, you have had the virus infection that can reactivate at a later date to produce shingles, so you can still "get" or develop shingles.

Explanation:

The shingles virus resides in regional nerve roots and ganglia (collections of nerve cells, or neurons). When the virus is reactivated, it follows the path of individual nerves.

Explanation:

After an individual has chickenpox, this virus lives dormant in the nervous system and is never fully cleared from the body. Under certain circumstances, such as emotional stress or immune deficiency (from AIDS, chemotherapy, or cancer), the virus reactivates and causes shingles. In most cases of shingles, however, a cause for the reactivation of the virus is never found.

Explanation:

Doctors diagnose shingles based on the way the rash looks. Shingles also may be diagnosed with a scraping or swab of the fluid from the blisters that can be analyzed in a lab.

Explanation:

There is no cure for shingles, but treatment may shorten the length of illness and prevent complications. Treatment options include antiviral medicines such as acyclovir (Zovirax®), valacyclovir (Valtrex®), or famciclovir (Famvir®) to reduce the pain and the duration of shingles; over-the-counter pain medicines, such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, to help reduce pain during an attack of shingles; and topical antibiotics, applied directly to the skin, to stop infection of the blisters. Corticosteroids also may be used to reduce pain in people younger than 50 who have had a recent outbreak of shingles.