Shingles: Dormant Virus That Emerges After Decades—Here are the Causes

Shingles is a burning, blistering rash that affects more than 1 million Americans each year, with risk increasing after age 50.

A shingles rash typically appears as painful, blistering skin on one side of the body. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

If you’ve ever had chickenpox, you’re in good company—about 98 percent of adults in the United States share this experience. However, what many people don’t realize is that the virus responsible for chickenpox never truly leaves the body. Instead, it stays dormant in the nervous system, and for roughly 1 in 3 people, it can reactivate later in life as shingles.

Shingles, medically known as herpes zoster, affects more than 1 million people in America each year. Cases have increased more than fourfold over the past 60 years.