Overview Shingles is a painful rash that develops on a side of the face or body, it will form blisters that will scab over in around 7 to 10 days. Shingles or Herpes Zoster, its more scientific name, is common virus and it is caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chicken pox. After a the chicken pox virus has been resolved it enter a dormant state in certain nerve cells of the body although for reasons not entirely clear the virus can awaken years later and will travel down the nerve path and cause shingles, the location of the rash depends on where the virus was dormant. Transmission Shingles is the reactivation of the chicken pox virus; so many North Americans already have the virus inside of them. If a person has not had chicken pox they are susceptible to the virus although as they get older the chances of getting do decrease. Chicken pox is an airborne …show more content…
There isn’t a cure for it so you can help reduce the pain and shorten the duration. Cool, wet compresses can reduce the pain, if there are blister add diluted vinegar (1 quarter cup vinegar for 2 quarts of water). Soothing baths and lotions help discomfort and itching, the inflicted should try to keep their skin clear and if lesions are oozing they should be kept away from others due to risk of infection. The anti-viral drugs acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir can be used to treat shingles and they may shorten the duration the course of the illness as well as the severity too, pain killers can also be used to combat the pain from the rashes. So if you have shingles you should: keep the rash covered, avoid scratching and touching, try to keep it clean, and wash your hands often to avoid the spread of varicella zoster