Did you have chickenpox as a child? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about one in every three people who have chicken pox will have shingles sometime in their lifetime.

Shingles, which usually produces a painful rash that can last two to four weeks or longer, can sometimes lead to serious complications such as long-term nerve pain and vision loss. 

“The best way to protect yourself from shingles is vaccination,” the CDC advises.

According to the CDC website, “Shingles (also called herpes zoster, or just zoster) is a painful skin rash, usually with blisters. In addition to the rash, shingles can cause fever, headache, chills, or upset stomach. Rarely, shingles can lead to complications such as pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis), or death.

“The risk of shingles increases with age. The most common complication of shingles is long-term nerve pain called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN occurs in the areas where the shingles rash was and can last for months or years after the rash goes away. The pain from PHN can be severe and debilitating.

“The risk of PHN increases with age. An older adult with shingles is more likely to develop PHN and have longer lasting and more severe pain than a younger person.

“People with weakened immune systems also have a higher risk of getting shingles and complications from the disease.

“Shingles is caused by varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you have chickenpox, the virus stays in your body and can cause shingles later in life. Shingles cannot be passed from one person to another, but the virus that causes shingles can spread and cause chickenpox in someone who has never had chickenpox or has never received chickenpox vaccine.”

The CDC advises anyone who had chicken pox to consult their doctor about vaccination against shingles.

According to the CDC, you cannot get shingles from someone who has shingles. However, you can get chickenpox from someone who has shingles if you never had chickenpox and never got chickenpox vaccine. You could then develop shingles later in life.