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6 questions to ask your healthcare provider about shingles

Learn the answers to who is at risk, who should get vaccinated, and other key shingles questions.

Updated on April 3, 2023

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Chances are, you’ve heard of shingles or may even know someone who has had shingles. Also called “herpes zoster” or “zoster,” shingles is a rash of painful sores that typically appears in a stripe or a band pattern on one side of the body. The first symptoms are typically pain, itching, and tingling at the site of the rash. For the first few days, the rash appears asShow More

young girl with chickenpox
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Is shingles the same as chickenpox?

Shingles and chickenpox are different infections caused by the same virus, the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). After a person has chickenpox, VZV remains in the body. The majority of the time, the virus exists in this dormant state where it causes no symptoms, does not actively reproduce, and is notShow More

person washing hands, person lathering hands with soap
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Is shingles contagious?

Shingles itself is not contagious. However, VZV, the virus that causes shingles, can be spread through contact with the fluid inside shingles blisters, and will cause chickenpox in those who have not previously had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine. Once the blisters have crusted over,Show More

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Am I at risk for shingles?

Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles, though some people are at a greater risk than others. When discussing your risk of shingles, a healthcare provider will take into account your age and your medical history. Shingles infections are most common in people who are over the age of 50,Show More

woman getting shingles vaccine, shingles vaccine, viral infections
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How can I prevent shingles?

If you are at risk for shingles, your next question is likely to be how to prevent shingles. The only known way to prevent shingles is through vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone aged 50 and older get vaccinated for shingles. The two-doseShow More

shingles, shingles rash, hives, rash, skin rash
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Can you have shingles twice?

If you’ve had shingles in the past, you might be wondering if you can have shingles again, and the answer is yes. While the majority of people who get shingles will have the rash one time and one time only, some patients experience a second bout of shingles. And there are some who even get shinglesShow More

person getting shingles vaccine, vaccine
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Do you need an updated vaccine?

The first shingles vaccine became available in 2006 and was discontinued in 2020. A newer vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October 2017 and became the preferred vaccine because it was shown to be more effective at preventing shingles. If you received the earlier versionShow More

Slideshow sources open slideshow sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccines and Preventable Diseases: Shingles Vaccination. Reviewed May 24, 2022.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Shingles (Herpes Zoster): Clinical Overview. Reviewed October 5, 2020.
Merck Manual Consumer Version. Shingles (Herpes Zoster). Modified September 2022.
Mayo Clinic. Shingles. August 20, 2022.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Shingles (Herpes Zoster): Signs & Symptoms. Reviewed July 1, 2019.
Harvard Health Publishing. Shingles can strike twice. Will the shingles vaccine help? September 16, 2019.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What Everyone Should Know about Zostavax. Reviewed October 5, 2020 (archived).
U.S Food & Drug Administration. BLA Approval (letter). October 20, 2017.

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