What You Need To Know About Shingles

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a disease that causes a painful skin rash. In addition, shingles can lead to severe pain that can last for months or even years, a condition known as post-herpetic neuralgia. Shingles can lead to other serious complications as well, including eye problems (when shingles affects the eye) and, more rarely, pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, and brain inflammation (encephalitis). In rare cases, shingles can also lead to death.

Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body in a dormant state. For reasons that are not fully known, the virus can reactivate years later, causing shingles.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, almost one out of three people in America will develop shingles during their lifetime. Last year, nearly 1 million Americans experienced the condition. The disease poses a greater risk to older people; about half of all cases occur among men and women 60 years old or older.

These presentations are being offered in each of the county's 19 senior centers listed below.

For more information or directions, call Senior Information and Assistance at 410-887-2594.

Revised August 28, 2008