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Shingles and zoster virus often cause a lot of apprehension and confusion in people. Shingles is a viral infection that causes a very painful skin rash. Even though shingles can occur anywhere on the body, it tends to occur in a linear fashion just underneath the armpit and extends to the chest. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus that is the same virus that causes chickenpox. For some unknown reason, once some people have had chicken pox, the virus becomes dormant in the nerve tissue. Many years later, the virus is activated and causes shingles. Shingles is not a life threatening condition but it is very painful and annoying.
Typical shingles symptoms include:

-Burning pain, numbness, tingling which may vary in intensity from mild to severe.
-Shingles pictures usually reveal a red rash that is always begins several later after the pain.
-The rash has fluid filled blisters that eventually become crusted. Itching also tends to occur at some point during the infection.

Other shingles symptoms include fever, chills, general fatigue, headache and inability to sleep.
The degree of pain is variable but in most cases, it is intense. Many times the pain around the chest is mistaken for a heart attack, pneumonia or bone pain. In some people, the rash occurs round the eye and is very dramatic in appearance.

Individuals who develop shingles can only pass the varicella zoster virus to individuals who have not had chicken pox. The transmission usually occurs via direct contact with the open skin sores. Once the virus has been transmitted, the individual will develop chickenpox and not shingles.
Shingles complications include:

-Post herpetic neuralgia which is ongoing pain after the rash has cleared. Sometimes the pain is unresponsive to the usual pain medications.
-Shingles pictures may also reveal an infection around the eye. This can result in vision loss if not treated in time. -Others may develop an infection of the brain; have hearing problems or facial paralysis.

Most cases of shingles resolve spontaneously 10-21 days. Contagious shingles treatment can sometimes help decrease pain, speed healing and reduce the risk of complications.
The typical drugs used for contagious shingles treatment include acyclovir, valacyclovir and famicyclovir. For those individuals with intense pain the treatment may include potent narcotics, anti depressants and a variety of numbing medications.

Home measures to relieve pain for shingles include taking a cool bath or using cool compresses. One may need to take an anti histamine to relieve the itch and apply some calamine lotion. To avoid stress, one may need to relax.
Today, there is the shingles vaccine that can help prevent shingles in older people who have had chicken pox. The shingles vaccine unfortunately does not guarantee that you will not get shingles. However, this live vaccine can decrease the intensity and course of post herpetic neuralgia. The shingles vaccine is only used for prevention and does not help individuals who have the acute rash.
The shingles and zoster virus vaccine is not recommended for individuals, who have a weak immune system, are on steroids or using chemotherapeutic drugs.