Shingles is a disease of the skin produced by the same virus that causes chickenpox.
It occurs only in people who have been infected with the chickenpox virus in the past and may become reactivated later in life to cause shingles. What triggers an attack of shingles is unknown. It often occurs during periods of stress to the immune system. Exposure to someone with active chickenpox does not reactivate the virus to cause shingles. However, direct exposure to someone with shingles can cause chickenpox in someone who has not had it before.