Shingles is a painful infection that usually affects older people. Shingles is caused by the chickenpox virus. It is an infection of a nerve and the area of the skin around it. It can cause a rash of painful, fluid-filled blisters on the skin that can burst and become sores that eventually crust over and heal. In serious cases, the pain can last longer. The older you are, the more likely you are to have long-lasting pain.

By having the shingles vaccine, you reduce the risk of developing shingles. If you get shingles later, the symptoms will be milder and the illness will be shorter than if you didn’t have the vaccination.