what causes herpes zoster
Shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, is a painful skin rash. It is caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. Nearly 1 out of every 3 people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime.Anyone who has had chickenpox or received chickenpox vaccine in the past may develop shingles.fter a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant (inactive) in the body. For reasons that are not fully known, the virus can reactivate years later, causing shingles. Shingles is not caused by the same virus that causes genital herpes, a sexually transmitted disease.