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Shingles is contagious, so be sure not to touch that area of your body to anyone. It occurs as a result of the chickenpox virus you get as a kid. So, as a kid you get chickenpox, and for some reason, your immune system doesn't kill it all off. White blood cells, which are part of your immune system, scan your whole body for infection, except for your nerves. White blood cells cant get into your nerves. So thats where the little bugger of a virus goes to hide. It stays dormant in your nerves until something triggers it, it could be stress, etc. And then it manifests itself as shingles. Oh and by the way shingles is NOT herpes. Shingles is caused from a virus called varcilla Zoster (aka chickenpox). And herpes simplex 1 and Herpes simplex 2 are caused from Herpes Zoster. They come from the same family of viruses but are not the same. The guy above me is refering to herpes simplex 2 when talking about cold sores, which is different than shingles. Medicines that treat viral infections need to be taken exactly as ordered to work well. So, dont skip any doses, or stop them early if youre feeling better. Hope this helps.
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nursing student