Shingles

Shingles

Shingles is a painful skin rash caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus—the same virus that causes chickenpox. If you have ever had chickenpox, the virus stays inactive in your nerve tissue. Years later, it can “wake up” and cause shingles.

While not usually life-threatening, it can be extremely uncomfortable and lead to long-term complications.

Symptoms of shingles

The first signs of shingles can be:

  • a tingling or painful feeling in an area of skin
  • a headache or feeling generally unwell

A rash will usually appear a few days later. In rare cases shingles can cause pain without a rash.

Usually you get the shingles rash on your chest and tummy, but it can appear anywhere on your body including on your face, eyes and genitals.

The rash appears as blotches on your skin, on 1 side of your body only. A rash on both the left and right of your body is unlikely to be shingles.

Treatment for shingles

Treatment for shingles depends on how severe your symptoms are and whether you’re at risk of complications.

If you have a mild rash you may not need any treatment. You may be offered medicine (antiviral tablets) to help speed up your recovery from shingles if:

  • you have a weakened immune system
  • your pain or your rash is moderate or severe
  • the rash is affecting other areas of your body apart from your chest, tummy and back

Treatment for shingles can also include medicines to help relieve pain, such as painkillers, steroid tablets or medicines that help with nerve pain.

 

How to treat shingles symptoms yourself

If you have shingles there are things you can do to help with the symptoms.

  • take paracetamol to ease pain
  • keep the rash clean and dry to reduce the risk of infection
  • wear loose-fitting clothing
  • use a cool compress a few times a day

Benefits of Vaccination

  1. Reduced Risk – Significantly lowers your chances of developing shingles in the first place.

  2. Milder Symptoms – If you do get shingles after being vaccinated, the symptoms are usually much milder and shorter-lived.

  3. Prevents PHN – The vaccine is highly effective at preventing Post-herpetic Neuralgia (PHN)—long-lasting nerve pain that can continue for months or years after the rash has healed.

  4. Protection for Vulnerable
    Reduces the overall spread of the varicella-zoster virus to those who cannot be vaccinated.

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