<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area . Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide stripe either on the left or right of the body or face . Two to four days before the rash occurs there may be tingling or local pain in the area . Otherwise there are typically few symptoms . The rash usually heals within two to four weeks; however, some people develop ongoing nerve pain which can last for months or years, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia . In those with poor immune function the rash may occur widely . If the rash involves the eye, vision loss may occur . </P> <P> Shingles is due to a reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) within a person's body . The disease chickenpox is caused by the initial infection with VZV . Once chickenpox has resolved, the virus may remain inactive in nerve cells . When it reactivates, it travels from the nerve body to the endings in the skin, producing blisters . Risk factors for reactivation include old age, poor immune function, and having had chickenpox before 18 months of age . How the virus remains in the body or subsequently re-activates is not well understood . Exposure to the virus in the blisters can cause chickenpox in someone who has not had it before, but will not trigger shingles . Diagnosis is typically based on a person's signs and symptoms . Varicella zoster virus is not the same as herpes simplex virus; however, they belong to the same family of viruses . </P> <P> The shingles vaccine reduces the risk of shingles by 50 to 90% depending on the vaccine used . It also decreases rates of postherpetic neuralgia, and if shingles occurs, its severity . If shingles develops, antiviral medications such as aciclovir can reduce the severity and duration of disease if started within 72 hours of the appearance of the rash . Evidence does not show a significant effect of antivirals or steroids on rates of postherpetic neuralgia . Paracetamol, NSAIDs, or opioids may be used to help with the acute pain . </P>

Where does the shingles virus hide in the body