How does shingles spread?

The virus that causes shingles can be spread from a person with active shingles to someone else who has never had chicken pox, the CDC reports. Shingles does not spread directly from one person to another.

In a case of the virus that causes shingles being spread to someone who has never had chickenpox, the person might develop chickenpox but would not get shingles, the CDC notes.

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, causes a painful rash with blisters on one side of the body, either the left or the right. An initial infection causes chickenpox, generally in children and young adults. Once chickenpox has resolved, the virus remains in the body and can cause shingles many years later.