Shingles is a painful red blistering viral infection of the nerves that supply certain areas of the skin, caused by reactivation of the chicken pox virus (varicella-zoster virus). After causing chicken pox, the virus stays dormant in the childs body. In some children it can become reactivated and cause shingles.
The main symptom of shingles is a rash on one side of the body that begins as a cluster of red bumps, eventually changing into small blisters that crust over. The child may also feel itchy but will otherwise be well. The rash usually continues to develop for a few days and then completely crusts over and goes away in about seven to 10 days without treatment. Because the nerves have been damaged after the virus attack, after the blisters heal the nerves tend to continue to produce strong pain impulses that may last for weeks or months.
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