Shingles comes from a virus already in your body

You get shingles from the same virus that causes chickenpox — a virus called varicella-zoster. If you had chickenpox at any point in your life, the virus never fully left your body. It stayed dormant (inactive) in nerve cells near your spinal cord. Years or decades later, that virus can reactivate and cause shingles.

You cannot catch shingles from someone else. You also cannot catch shingles from someone who has shingles. What you can do is catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you have never had chickenpox and are not vaccinated against it. But the person with shingles will not give you shingles directly — they would give you chickenpox, which might later become shingles in you.

Key Takeaways

  • Shingles develops only in people who have had chickenpox before, because the virus remains dormant in your nerve cells for life.
  • Your risk of shingles increases significantly after age 50, and even more after age 60.
  • A weakened immune system from illness, medication, or age makes reactivation of the virus much more likely.
  • Physical or emotional stress, injury to the affected nerve area, or certain medications can trigger the virus to wake up.
  • You cannot catch shingles from another person, but unvaccinated people can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles.

Why the virus wakes up: age and immune system

The biggest reason shingles develops is age. Your immune system naturally weakens as you get older, making it harder to keep the dormant virus in check. This is why shingles is far more common in people over 50. The risk climbs steeply after age 60, and people over 80 have the highest rates of shingles.

Anything that weakens your immune system can trigger reactivation. This includes HIV or AIDS, cancer treatment, organ transplants, or medications that suppress immunity (like those taken after transplant or for autoimmune diseases). Even a temporary illness that taxes your immune system — a bad flu, a serious infection — can be enough to let the virus break free.

Stress and physical triggers

Emotional or physical stress appears to play a role in shingles reactivation, though the exact mechanism is not fully understood. People often report that shingles appeared during a period of major stress, grief, or life upheaval. Similarly, an injury or surgery affecting the area where the virus lies dormant can sometimes trigger an outbreak.

Some medications also increase risk. Corticosteroids (used for inflammation and autoimmune conditions) and immunosuppressants can lower your immune system's ability to contain the virus. If you take these medications long-term, your doctor may discuss shingles risk with you.

Who is at highest risk

Certain groups have much higher rates of shingles. People over 50 are at substantially higher risk than younger adults. Within that group, risk continues to climb with each decade of life. People with HIV, cancer, or autoimmune diseases face elevated risk at any age because their immune systems are compromised.

People who had chickenpox very early in life (before age one) may have slightly higher risk of shingles later, though this is less common now because most children are vaccinated. If you had chickenpox, you carry the risk of shingles for the rest of your life, but that risk is not equal across all ages and health conditions.

The role of chickenpox vaccination

The chickenpox vaccine (varicella vaccine) prevents chickenpox infection in most people who receive it. If you were vaccinated and never had chickenpox, you will not develop shingles, because you do not have the dormant virus in your body.

People who received the chickenpox vaccine as children have a lower risk of shingles later in life compared to people who had the actual chickenpox disease. The vaccine provides strong protection against chickenpox but does not eliminate the small possibility of a mild infection, which could theoretically lead to shingles years later. However, this risk is much lower than the risk faced by people who had full chickenpox infection.

What does not cause shingles

Shingles is not contagious in the way many people fear. You cannot catch shingles from someone who has it. You cannot get shingles from touching the rash, breathing the same air, or sharing food or drinks with someone who has shingles. The virus that causes shingles lives in your own nerve cells — it does not spread from person to person as shingles.

Cold weather, poor diet, or minor stress alone do not cause shingles. While stress may play a role in reactivation, shingles requires the dormant virus to be present in your body first. You also cannot get shingles if you have never had chickenpox and were not exposed to the varicella-zoster virus at some point in your life.

When to see a doctor

If you develop a painful rash that appears in a band or strip on one side of your body, contact your doctor as soon as possible. Shingles is most treatable in the first few days after the rash appears. Antiviral medications work best when started early and can reduce pain, shorten the duration of illness, and lower the risk of complications.

Seek immediate care if the rash appears near your eye, if you have signs of infection (increasing redness, warmth, pus, or fever), or if you have severe pain or weakness. These can signal complications that need prompt treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get shingles more than once?

Yes, though it is uncommon. Most people who have shingles once will not have it again, but reactivation can happen. People with weakened immune systems are more likely to have shingles multiple times. If you have had shingles before, you can still receive the shingles vaccine to reduce the risk of future episodes.

If I never had chickenpox, can I get shingles?

No. Shingles requires the dormant varicella-zoster virus to be present in your nerve cells. If you were vaccinated against chickenpox and never had the disease, you do not have the virus and cannot develop shingles. If you are unsure whether you had chickenpox or were vaccinated, a blood test can show whether you have immunity.

Does the chickenpox vaccine prevent shingles?

The chickenpox vaccine prevents chickenpox infection in most people, which means they will not develop the dormant virus and therefore will not get shingles. However, there is a separate vaccine for shingles (called the recombinant zoster vaccine or Shingrix) that is recommended for people over 50 or those with weakened immune systems, even if they had chickenpox years ago.

Can a baby get shingles?

Shingles is extremely rare in infants and young children. It can occur in babies who had chickenpox in the womb or very early in life, but this is uncommon. Shingles typically develops in older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Babies are more likely to be protected by the chickenpox vaccine.

Is shingles more likely if I am stressed?

Stress may increase your risk of shingles reactivation, but stress alone does not cause it. You must already have the dormant virus from a previous chickenpox infection. Stress appears to weaken immune control over the virus, but other factors like age and overall immune health play larger roles in whether shingles develops.