A painful rash? How? I had chickenpox before? But did you know that the Varicella Zoster Virus that causes chickenpox, remains within the nervous systems, nerve cells, even after getting chickenpox? But why is it that we don’t feel The Varicella Zoster Virus?
The virus can remain latent for years without any symptoms inside the sensory ganglia. Shingles is a type of human alpha herpes virus, a reactivation of the Varicella Zoster Virus, and occurs to anyone who had chickenpox once in their life. It isn’t known what causes the reactivation of varicella, but a weak immune system, medication, stress, and aging can trigger the activation. Shingles itself is not contagious but it can cause a person who never encountered the varicella virus to get chickenpox but not shingles. The Varicella Zoster Virus, is contagious and newborns, pregnant women and everyone should take precaution near a person with the virus.Direct contact with the fluid of a ruptured blister can spread the virus, covering the blisters can avoid the spread of the virus.
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Compared to Chickenpox, Shingles symptoms can last from 3-4 weeks, but the aftermath pains called postherpetic neuralgia, can be for months to years. Shingles affects the nerve cells and then spreads to the skin, leading to the visual symptoms we see and feel. Early symptoms include headaches, fevers, malaise, abnormal skin sensations and becoming sensitive to the light. After the pain, itching, burning, and tingling, rashes, clusters of blisters and patches, appears above nerve pathways on skin. Shingles could also develop near the eye and cause the loss of vision and blisters could cause permanent