Final answer:
Herpes zoster (shingles) is often preceded by pain due to the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that moves along sensory nerves to the skin. This pain can lead to postherpetic neuralgia even after the lesions have healed. Direct contact with infectious particles can lead to chickenpox in nonimmune individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, herpes zoster (shingles) is often preceded by pain. The varicella-zoster virus, after lying dormant for years in the nerve cell ganglia, can be reactivated, leading to shingles. This reactivation typically results in a painful, localized rash on one side of the body, and lesions that appear on the face or trunk. The pain experienced is due to the virus moving along the sensory nerves, and it can sometimes lead to a condition called postherpetic neuralgia, which is the presence of pain signals sent from damaged nerves long after the rash and blisters have healed.
Infectious particles from the lesions of an individual with shingles can lead to chickenpox in a person who has never been infected with the varicella-zoster virus and is not immune. Chickenpox is the primary infection that occurs upon first exposure to the virus. It is important to note that direct contact with the shingles rash is necessary for transmission, and one cannot get shingles from someone else; they can only develop chickenpox if they are nonimmune.