Constellation Norovirus Outbreak

[elena7seas]

Isn't Shingles a severe form of the Herpes Virus??...which you can't get rid of (runs the gamut from Cold sores to shingles and you know what in between) They just have outbreaks occasionally but shingles can be really bad' date=' and pretty much never go away, and can be inside the body also.:eek:[/quote']

 

1. Shingles are NOT caused by the same virus that causes cold sores and genital herpes.
   
2. Although both viruses are in the "herpes" family of viruses, they are different viruses.
   
3. Shingles is caused by the SAME "varicella zoster" virus that causes CHICKENPOX.
   

1. People who have NOT had chickenpox (and haven't had the chickenpox vaccine) CAN catch CHICKENPOX from someone who has SHINGLES.
   
2. They will NOT catch SHINGLES itself from someone who has SHINGLES.
   
3. Unlike chickenpox, which is very contagious, you cannot catch shingles from anyone else.
   
4. You have to have had CHICKENPOX FIRST, in order to develop SHINGLES later.
   
5. In effect, you catch SHINGLES from yourself (from your own system). The chickenpox virus has laid dormant in your body ever since you had chickenpox, and may erupt one day if you are under great stress, or if you have a weakened immune system. It occurs most often in people over 60 years of age.
   
6. The varicella zoster virus that causes chickenpox never entirely leaves your body.
   

[Napi's Mom]

Yes Shingles and Measles look different. Shingles come to a blister type head and hurt and itch. They are coming from the nerve endings and can be painful for a very long time. The good news is that unless you have an impaired immunity, you will only get them once.

We knew an older lady who had them for YEARS, never left the house was in misery all the time. I also wasn't aware you can only get it once that seems contradictory to what I have heard.

[elena7seas]

We knew an older lady who had them for YEARS' date=' never left the house was in misery all the time. I also wasn't aware you can only get it once that seems contradictory to what I have heard.[/quote']

 

Less than 4% of people who get shingles will have it more than once.

 

There is, however, a painful condition called PHN (post-herpetic neuralgia) that results from damage sustained by nerve fibres in the skin during a case of shingles.

 

The rash and pain that results from shingles usually lasts for about a month. However, PHN, or the pain from the damaged nerve fibres, can take months to abate, and can even last for years in some people.

 

The older a patient is when they get shingles, the likelier that they will sustain some degree of PHN.