Usually the cause is a decrease in your body's natural resistance, which may come through other infections, stress, being generally run down, or occasionally, when the body's immune defences are affected by certain drugs or other immune deficiencies.
If you have shingles you should stay away from other people until the blisters have dried (usually about seven days), as there are virus particles in the blister fluid. The risk is that people who have not had chickenpox might catch that from you.
Those at particular risk are people whose immune system is not functioning normally (who are immunocompromised), as for example in people on steroids, chemotherapy for cancer or those with transplants or with AIDS, so do try to avoid contact with people in these categories if you have shingles.
Recurrences
Shingles is caused by a reactivation of the dormant virus in the nerves of people who have previously had chickenpox. As as a result shingles can unfortunately occur more than once.
You may have further attacks of shingles, especially at times when you are run down. These attacks may affect a different part of the body.
See also.....
Shingles Help.com
