Shingles

Shingles is a painful rash normally seen in adults (and occasionally in children), caused by the chickenpox virus. The virus lies dormant in the spinal cord for many years after the initial chickenpox infection, and may never cause problems. 

In some people (sometimes triggered by stress, illnesses or immunodeficiency) the virus reappears in a band of skin corresponding to the area supplied by the affected nerve. The rash, like chickenpox, releases virus until it has scabbed. Chickenpox can be caught from people with shingles by people who have never had it, but shingles cannot be caught from people with chickenpox.

Also see notes on Chicken Pox.