The major symptoms of shingles—the rash, itching, fever etc. But in severe cases, with complications like eye infections or severe postherpetic neuralgia pain that continues after the virus has cleared up , you might need much longer. If you have any questions about shingles and work, beyond the advice here, please contact our expert advisors. You can call us on: Thank you for completing the form, we'll be in touch soon to see how we can best handle your enquiry.
Nicola Jagielski. What is shingles? Other symptoms include: Pain, numbness and tingling in affected areas Sensitivity to contact Itching Bursting blisters that crust over Fatigue Sensitivity to light Headaches and fever For some people, especially the elderly or those with a weakened immune system, shingles can be a serious condition. What causes shingles? Should an employee with shingles come to work? Advice for employees You might be asking yourself, ' can I go to work with shingles?
How long do you stay off work with shingles? Find your local pharmacy on Scotland's Service directory. In most cases your pharmacist should be able to provide treatment, however they may recommend that you need to contact your GP practice for treatment if required. You should see your GP if you are under 18 years old, pregnant or have a weakened immune system the body's natural defence system and you think you have been exposed to someone with chickenpox or shingles and haven't had chickenpox before.
Early treatment may help reduce the severity of your symptoms and the risk of developing complications. It's uncommon for someone with shingles to be referred to hospital, but your GP may consider seeking specialist advice if:.
Most people have chickenpox in childhood, but after the illness has gone, the varicella-zoster virus remains dormant inactive in the nervous system.
The immune system keeps the virus in check, but later in life it can be reactivated and cause shingles. It's not known exactly why the shingles virus is reactivated at a later stage in life, but most cases are thought to be caused by having lowered immunity protection against infections and diseases.
It's not possible to catch shingles from someone with the condition or from someone with chickenpox. However, you can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you haven't had chickenpox before. The blisters that form contain live virus. If a person who has never had chickenpox makes direct contact with an open blister or something with the fluid on it, they can contract the virus and develop chickenpox.
If you have shingles, you're contagious until the last blister has dried and scabbed over. To help prevent the virus being passed on, avoid sharing towels or flannels, swimming, or playing contact sports.
You should also avoid work or school if your rash is weeping oozing fluid and can't be covered. Chickenpox can be particularly dangerous for certain groups of people. If you have shingles, avoid:. Although there's no cure for shingles, treatment is available to relieve the symptoms until the condition resolves. Most cases of shingles last around two to four weeks. Read more about treating shingles. Shingles can sometimes lead to complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia.
This is where severe nerve pain lasts for several months or more after the rash has gone. Complications such as this are usually in elderly people who have had the condition and those with a weakened immune system. Read more about the complications of shingles. It's not always possible to prevent shingles, but a vaccine called Zostavax can reduce your chances of developing the condition.
If you still develop shingles after having this vaccine, it may be milder and last for a shorter time than usual. Read more about shingles vaccination. This vaccine's now routinely offered in Scotland as a single injection to people aged Some cases of shingles can affect one of the eyes and are known as ophthalmic shingles.
This occurs when the virus is reactivated in part of the trigeminal nerve, a nerve that controls sensation and movement in your face. An episode of shingles typically lasts around two to four weeks.
The main symptoms are pain, followed by a rash. Any part of your body can be affected, including your face and eyes, although the chest and abdomen tummy are the most common areas where shingles develops.
In some cases, shingles may cause some early prodromal symptoms that develop a few days before the painful rash first appears. Not everyone will experience these prodromal symptoms. A high temperature is particularly uncommon.
Eventually, most people with shingles experience a localised "band" of pain in the affected area. The pain can be a constant, dull or burning sensation and its intensity can vary from mild to severe. Pain is less common in young healthy people and is rare in children. It usually starts a few days before the rash appears and can remain for a few days or weeks after the rash has healed.
The shingles rash usually appears on one side of your body and develops on the area of skin related to the affected nerve. Initially, the shingles rash appears as red blotches on your skin before developing into itchy blisters similar in appearance to chickenpox.
Scabs then form where the blisters were, which may leave some slight scarring. It usually takes two to four weeks for the rash to heal completely. Shingles is not usually serious, but you should see your GP as soon as possible if you recognise the symptoms. You should also see your GP if you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system the body's natural defence system and you think you have been exposed to someone with chickenpox or shingles and haven't had chickenpox before.
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which is the virus that causes chickenpox. After you have had chickenpox , the varicella-zoster virus lies dormant inactive inside your body.
It can become reactivated at a later stage and cause shingles. It is not known exactly why the virus is reactivated, but it is linked to having lowered immunity protection against infection and diseases. Your immunity to illness and infection can become lowered if there is a problem with your immune system the body's natural defence system. This can happen as a result of:. It is not possible to catch shingles from someone else with the condition, or from someone with chickenpox.
However, it is possible for someone who has never had chickenpox to catch it from someone with shingles, as the shingles blisters contains the live virus. In the UK, chickenpox is so common during childhood that 9 out of 10 adults have already had it and will not be at risk from someone with shingles. The blisters that develop as a result of shingles contain virus particles. If you have not had chickenpox before, you can catch it from direct contact with the fluid from the blisters of someone who has shingles, or from something that has the fluid on it, such as bed sheets or a towel.
If you have shingles, you are contagious until the last blister has scabbed over. This will usually occur after about 10 to 14 days. If you have the shingles rash, do not share towels or flannels, go swimming, or play contact sports. This will help prevent the virus being passed on to someone who has not had chickenpox. You should also avoid work or school if your rash is weeping oozing fluid and cannot be covered. Once your blisters have dried and scabbed over, you are no longer contagious and will not need to avoid anyone.
Your GP or pharmacist will normally be able to diagnose shingles from your symptoms and the appearance of your rash. Testing is not usually necessary. It is uncommon for someone with shingles to be referred to a specialist for further assessment and treatment, but your GP may consider seeking specialist advice or referring you if:. You may also be referred to a specialist if you have an unusually persistent case of suspected shingles that is not responding to treatment, or if you have been diagnosed with the condition more than twice.
There is no cure for shingles, but treatment can help ease your symptoms until the condition improves. In many cases, shingles gets better within around two to four weeks.
However, it's still important to see your GP or pharmacist as soon as possible if you recognise the symptoms of shingles, as early treatment may help reduce the severity of the condition and the risk of potential complications. They could then develop shingles later in life. The risk of spreading VZV to others is low if you cover the shingles rash. People with shingles cannot spread the virus before their rash blisters appear or after the rash crusts. Also see Treating Shingles.
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Quick Facts. You cannot get shingles from someone who has shingles.
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