Shingles (herpes zoster)

At a glance

Vaccine preventable – check who’s eligible
Vaccine included on the National Immunisation Program – check who’s eligible
Nationally notifiable disease

About shingles

People get shingles (also called herpes zoster) when the virus that causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus) reactivates in their body.

People can only get shingles if they have had chickenpox.

Shingles causes a very painful, blistering rash.

It is most common in people aged 50 years or older or those who are immunocompromised.

Vaccination is the best way to prevent shingles.

Why it matters to public health

About 10,000 to 15,000 people are diagnosed with shingles in Australia every year. Up to 1 in 4 people develop complications.

Shingles can damage nerves, leading to long-lasting pain that may persist for months or even years. It can be debilitating.

Because of these major impacts, we monitor and report on shingles cases in Australia.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

The main symptom of shingles is a painful red rash.

This usually appears on one side of the body around an area of skin served by a single nerve from the spine.

The rash turns into blisters, which then burst and crust over, usually within 2 to 4 weeks.

The most common complication is pain and tingling in the area of the rash, which can last for months or years. This is called postherpetic neuralgia, a type of neuropathic pain.

Other complications can include:

skin infections
scarring
vision loss, if shingles affects the eye
earache or hearing loss, if shingles affects the ear
facial drooping, such as lopsided eyes or smile.

Read more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of shingles.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Shingles often occurs without a clear cause. But the virus may be reactivated by:

stress
illness
immunocompromise (a weakened immune system)
older age – especially 50 years or older
physical trauma
radiotherapy.

How it spreads

Shingles itself doesn’t spread between people. But people who aren’t immune to chickenpox can get chickenpox from a person who has shingles.

This is because both diseases are caused by the same virus.

The virus spreads through:

contact with fluid from the blisters
touching clothing, bedding or towels used by the person who has shingles.

Most people who get shingles will only get it once. Repeat shingles episodes are more likely in people who are immunocompromised.

Infectious period

People with shingles can spread the virus until the blisters from the rash have crusted over.

Prevention

Vaccination

Get vaccinated

Vaccination is recommended for certain groups, including people who are:

aged 50 years and older
aged 18 years and older and immunocompromised.

Eligible people can get shingles vaccine for free under the National Immunisation Program. If you are not eligible for a free vaccine, you can buy one from your health professional or pharmacy.

Other prevention steps

People with shingles can reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others by keeping their blisters covered.

This is especially important if around someone who is:

not immune to chickenpox
immunocompromised
pregnant.

Priority groups and settings

Some people are at greater risk of getting shingles or getting very sick from it.

Shingles is most common in people who:

are aged 50 years or older
are immunocompromised
had chickenpox in the first year of life.

People at greater risk of severe disease

Shingles poses a greater risk of severe illness and hospitalisation for:

people aged 65 years or older
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years or older
people who are immunocompromised.

People at greater risk of exposure

You can only get shingles if you’ve had chickenpox before.

Diagnosis and treatment

If you think you or someone you care for might have shingles, call ahead before visiting your healthcare professional. They may take extra steps to protect others.

Shingles can often be diagnosed by a healthcare professional based on symptoms and clinical examination.

In some cases, fluid from the blisters is collected for laboratory testing to confirm shingles.

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

Find a health service

Healthcare professionals might prescribe antiviral medicines for some people with shingles. These can reduce the severity of symptoms. They work best when taken soon after symptoms begin.

People with shingles often need pain relief medicines.

Read more about how to manage or treat shingles.

Surveillance and reporting

Shingles is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Some state and territory health authorities report shingles cases to us daily through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of our surveillance activities, which help us monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.

We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.

Support

For information about shingles in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.