LINGERING CHICKEN POX
HIW,
Dear
How does chickenpox reappear as shingles decades later?
Merle Ann
Chickenpox remains dormant in the body’s nervous system. If your immune system becomes weakened, the chickenpox virus (varicella-zoster) can be reactivated and travels down the body’s nerve pathways, reaching the skin in the form of a painful rash. Not everyone who has had chickenpox will get shingles, and it’s unclear exactly why people do. However, it’s most common in older people with weak immune systems.