[masraum]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

I had a mild case of shingles about 3 years ago. Got on acyclovir pretty quickly and it wasn’t the horror story many others experience. Have not received a clear answer about needing the vaccine now that I had it. Many say just do it, but why would I not have antibodies after having the actual virus?

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According to https://www.healthline.com/health/what-causes-shingles-to-activate

The virus becomes inactive but stays in your body the rest of your life. A strong immune system keeps the virus inactive, so it doesn’t cause any problems.

However, if your immune system becomes weakened, the virus can become active again. This time, it causes the painful rash known as shingles.

A weakened immune system is the main factor associated with getting shingles, because it allows VZV to reactivate.

Age is the factor most associated with the strength of the immune system. As you get older, you’re more likely to have one or more of the following things that weaken your immunity:

natural age-related decline in immunity
immunosuppressant medications, such as chemotherapy, long-term corticosteroids, and anti-inflammatory medication
diseases and conditions that attack your immune system, such as HIV and hypogammaglobulinemia
autoimmune diseases that are treated with immunosuppressants, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and lupus
procedures that sometimes require immunosuppressants afterward, such as bone marrow transplants and kidney transplants

You’re most likely to get shingles if you’re 50 or older. In addition, disease severity and likelihood of complications increase with age starting around 50.

Stress can weaken your immune system. Some people think that there’s a link between experiencing a lot of stress and getting shingles. Researchers have studied this, but the results are contradictory, so they don’t know the answer yet.

Anyone who’s had chickenpox can develop shingles. While you can’t “catch” shingles, people who have never had chickenpox can develop it if they come into contact with the liquid from shingles blisters. Once their blisters have crusted over, a person with shingles is no longer contagious.

Although it’s rare, you can get shingles more than once. That’s why you should get the shingles vaccine at age 50 or older if your immune system is strong, even if you’ve already had shingles.

It’s extremely rare to get shingles three times.