They Lied to us!

Shingles! I was always told that you could only get Shingles if you didn't have the Chicken Pox, well they lied! You can only get Shingles if you have had Chicken Pox! from the VHI website

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, is caused by the herpes varicella zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. When a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in their nerve cells and can be triggered later in life to cause shingles.

Yes thats right, if you have had Chicken Pox there is a 20% chance that you will develop Shingles later in life. Thankfully its not contagious, if you have had Chicken Pox, as that's all you can catch from it.

You learn something new everyday. This is mine today!

For those wondering, this came up in conversation with a friend who was today diagnosed with Shingles, luckily I have had Chicken Pox so I have nothing to worry about, unless I'm in the that 20% also...