# Shingles: Symptoms, Treatment and the Shingrix Vaccine > Shingles causes pain and blisters on one side of the body and can leave long-lasting nerve pain. Symptoms, treatment, and the Shingrix vaccine in Georgia. Shingles (herpes zoster) is the return of the chickenpox virus. A person who had [chickenpox](https://bigmed.ge/en/diseases/varicella) in childhood carries the virus in nerve ganglia for life, and it usually stays asleep. When immunity weakens, the virus wakes up and travels along a nerve to the skin. That causes pain and a rash on one side of the body, most often in a band or "belt" around the chest. The risk rises with age, long-term stress, serious illness, HIV, cancer, and taking medicines that suppress the immune system. ## Shingles symptoms The illness develops in several stages. - **Early signs (1 to 5 days).** One area of the body starts to burn or tingle, the skin becomes oversensitive or [itchy](https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/itching), or a deep pain appears. There may also be a headache, tiredness, and a slight fever. There is no rash yet, so the pain can be mistaken for a heart, lung, or abdominal problem. - **Rash.** Then groups of blisters filled with clear fluid appear on reddened skin. They are on one side of the body, usually along a nerve, and do not cross the midline. After a few days the blisters turn cloudy, dry out, and form scabs. For the general causes of skin eruptions, see the page on [rash](https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/rash). - **Healing.** The illness usually lasts two to four weeks, and the rash may leave marks or small scars. Is shingles contagious? You cannot catch shingles itself from a sick person. But someone who never had chickenpox and is not vaccinated can catch chickenpox from contact with the fluid in the blisters. So until the blisters have crusted over, a person with shingles should avoid close contact with pregnant women, newborns, people with weak immune systems, and anyone who has not had chickenpox. ## Why shingles can be dangerous The most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia: severe pain in the area of the rash that lasts for weeks or months after the skin has healed. The older the person, the higher the risk. A rash on the face is dangerous: if the forehead, eyelid, tip of the nose, or area around the eye is affected, the virus can damage the eye and lead to vision loss. Other possible problems are bacterial infection of the blisters, muscle weakness, hearing loss, and other nerve problems. In people with severe immune deficiency the illness can be serious and spread over a large area of skin. ## How shingles is diagnosed and treated A doctor usually makes the diagnosis from the look of the rash and its position along a nerve. Lab tests are needed only in unclear cases and in people with weak immune systems. Treatment is with antiviral medicines (acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir), which shorten the illness and make it less severe. They work best when started as early as possible, in the first days after the rash appears, without waiting for more blisters to form. For pain relief a doctor will choose ordinary painkillers and medicines for nerve pain, and for eye involvement will send you to an ophthalmologist. Only a doctor decides on doses and schedules. Who to see: a general practitioner or family doctor, an infectious disease specialist, or a dermatologist. For pain that drags on, a neurologist. Do not pop the blisters, do not cover them with dressings that keep scabs from drying, and do not use folk remedies without your doctor's advice. ## Shingles vaccine in Georgia The shingles vaccine is not in Georgia's national immunization calendar (Minister's Order No. 01-60/n, version of July 13, 2023) or in the 2026 state immunization program, so it is given for a fee. You can get it by choice at clinics. The Shingrix vaccine (GSK) is recombinant and non-live, so it does not contain live virus. The course is two doses, usually about two months apart (the interval can be shorter for people with weak immune systems). Vaccine prices at clinics in Georgia are listed further down this page. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved Shingrix for adults 50 and older and for adults 18 and older who are at higher risk of shingles. In clinical trials the vaccine cut the risk of shingles by about 97% in people over 50 and protects against postherpetic neuralgia. People who have already had shingles can get it, and so can those who do not remember whether they had chickenpox. A doctor can tell you whether it suits you and when it is best to get it. Side effects usually last 2 to 3 days: pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, a fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. ## When to see a doctor urgently - a rash or pain near the eye, on the forehead, eyelid, or tip of the nose, worse vision, or a red eye; - a rash in or around the ear, hearing loss, dizziness, or a drooping face; - the rash spreads beyond one area or blisters appear on different parts of the body; - you are over 50 or have a weak immune system and have pain with a rash, because antiviral treatment is best started in the first days; - severe pain that ordinary painkillers do not relieve; - fever, pus, or growing redness around the blisters; - you are pregnant, were in contact with a sick person, and never had chickenpox. If the condition is severe, call an ambulance at 112. ## Vaccination - Shingrix · 900 GEL (course 1 800 GEL) · + visit 150 GEL · on order · price as of 05.10.2026 — Genova clinic: https://bigmed.ge/en/clinics/genova-clinic - Shingrix · 1 250 GEL (course 2 500 GEL) · on order · price as of 08.10.2026 — Rcheuli medical: https://bigmed.ge/en/clinics/rcheuli-medical ## Doctors - Sofiia Volchkova — Neurologist, General practitioner: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/sofia-volckova (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/sofia-volckova.md) - Timur Sirbiladze — Neurologist: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/timur-sirbiladze (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/timur-sirbiladze.md) - Ekaterina Agapova — Neurologist: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/ekaterina-agapova (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/ekaterina-agapova.md) - Teona Zaridze — Neurologist: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/teona-zaridze (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/teona-zaridze.md) - Nana Sekhniashvili — Dermatologist, Venereologist: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/nana-sekhniashvili (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/nana-sekhniashvili.md) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you catch shingles from a sick person? No, not directly. But a person who is not immune to chickenpox can catch chickenpox from touching the fluid in the blisters. ### Can shingles come back? Yes. In some people it returns, especially when immunity is weak. The vaccine lowers that risk. ### Why does the pain stay after the rash is gone? The virus damages the nerve, and the pain can continue as postherpetic neuralgia. The earlier antiviral treatment starts, the lower the risk, but it cannot be ruled out completely. If the pain does not go away, see a neurologist. ### Does the chickenpox vaccine prevent shingles? They are different vaccines. Shingrix is for adults and protects against shingles. The childhood chickenpox vaccine is a separate topic, covered on the page about chickenpox. ### At what age is the shingles vaccine given? In Europe the vaccine is approved for people 50 and older, and for adults 18 and older whose risk is higher because of an illness or its treatment. A doctor decides in each case. ## Symptoms - Skin rash: https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/rash - Itchy skin: https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/itching --- Canonical: https://bigmed.ge/en/diseases/shingles Country: Georgia (GE), the country in the South Caucasus Updated: 2026-10-04T14:14:37+04:00