What are shingles and chickenpox?

Also known as: zoster, herpes zoster, varicella-zoster

Both chickenpox and shingles are caused by exposure to the varicella-zoster virus. The red, itchy bumps that cover the body with chickenpox tend to occur in childhood if a person is not vaccinated for the chickenpox. After you’ve had chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the body and can reactivate in adulthood as a red, painful rash known as shingles.
 

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Reviewed by: Otto Ramos, MD

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM