Did you have the chicken pox? You’re at risk of getting shingles

DETROIT – If you’ve had the chicken pox then you’re at risk of getting a painful condition called shingles.

There is a vaccine to reduce the risk, but it’s only recommended for people over the age of 50. Even though shingles can strike at any age. Infectious disease expert doctor David Schwartz said shingles and chicken pox come from the same virus and even when you’ve recovered from chicken pox the virus stays dormant in your nervous system.

Shingles appears as a rash and can be very painful. There are two vaccines approved to prevent shingles. The newest one was in such high demand last year that its maker had to increase production.

Studies show that the risk of getting shingles if you had the chicken pox vaccine are much lower than someone who actually had the chickenpox.

Watch the video above for the full report.


About the Authors:

You can watch Kimberly Gill weekdays anchoring Local 4 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and streaming live at 10 p.m. on Local 4+. She's an award-winning journalist who finally called Detroit home in 2014. Kim has won Regional Emmy Awards, and was part of the team that won the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in 2022.

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.