Shingles

Shingles is a painful skin rash with blisters. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus stays in people’s nerve cells and can become active again later in life causing shingles.

You cannot get shingles if you have never had chickenpox, but anyone who has had chicken pox can get shingles.

About 1 out of 3 people will get shingles in their lifetime. Shingles is more common in people 50 years of age and over and those with immune systems weakened by medication or disease.

See pictures of the shingles rash and blisters.

You cannot get shingles from someone with shingles. However, if you have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine, you can get chickenpox by being in direct contact with shingle blisters. Shingles is not spread by sneezing or coughing. Once the blisters crust over the person can no longer spread the virus.

The most common symptoms are pain, itching or tingling of the skin. This is followed by a painful rash with blisters. The rash is usually only on a small area on one side of the body. Other early symptoms can include headache, fever, chills and nausea. The rash from shingles usually lasts two to four weeks.

About one in five people who get shingles will have severe pain after the rash goes away. This pain can last months or even years. This pain is known as post-herpetic neuralgia.

Rare complications of shingles include scarring, pneumonia, loss of hearing or vision, swelling of the brain (encephalitis) and bacterial superinfections of the rash.

Prevent your children from getting shingles later in life by getting them immunized with the chickenpox vaccine. As an adult the best way to not get shingles is to get the shingles vaccine. The shingles vaccine is safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get the disease. When you get immunized with the shingles vaccine you help protect others from chicken pox.

People with shingles can prevent spreading the virus by covering their rash, not touching or scratching the rash and washing their hands often.

There are two shingles vaccines approved for use in Canada.

Canada’s National Advisory Committee on immunization (NACI) recommends one dose of Zostavax II for people 60 years of age and older. However, anyone 50 years of age and older can get the vaccine. One dose of Zostavax II has been shown to decrease the risk of getting shingles by 50 per cent.

Shingrix has recently been approved for use in Canada in adults 50 years of age and older. Two doses of Shingrix has been shown to reduce the risk of getting shingles by more than 90 per cent.

For the prevention of shingles A, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that individuals 50 years of age and older receive two doses of 0.5 mL IM, two to six months apart. This includes those who have been previously vaccinated with Zostavax II and have had a previous episode of shingles C.

Shingles vaccines are not publicly funded (free) in B.C. One dose of Zostavax costs about $200; each dose of Shingrix is about $150. Both vaccines are available at most travel clinics and pharmacies. Check with your health insurance provider to see if your plan covers the cost of these vaccines.

Get immunized against shingles by making an appointment with your doctor, pharmacist or travel clinic.

For more information about shingles and the shingles vaccine, go to: