Shingles

Shingles (herpes zoster) is an acute infectious viral disease that is marked by inflammation of nerve tissue and eruption of herpetic blisters, usually on the trunk of the body along a peripheral nerve, but the face may also be involved. The pain, which can be quite severe, may persist after the rash heals for months, or, rarely, for years. The virus may cause meningitis, affect the optic nerve, or affect hearing. The herpes zoster virus is the chickenpox (varicella) virus that has remained in the nerves after recovery from chickenpox. It may be reactivated by the diminishing capacity of the immune system that comes with age or the physiological stress of disease.