(WSIL) -- March is Shingles Awareness Month.
1 in 3 Americans get shingles at some point in their life.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one million people get it every year.
The disease comes from having the chicken pox.
Most people who get shingles will only have it once, but you can have it again.
Shawnna Rhine with the Southern Seven Health Department says everyone 50 and older should get the vaccine, and so should people 19 and older who have weak immune systems.
"Often times we think that it only happens to people over the age of 50 and the reason we think that is because that's normally when people talk about getting their shingles shot. But, basically you can develop shingles at any time in your life time if you've had chicken pox." said, Shawnna Rhine, Outreach Coordinator Southern 7 Health Dept.
Rhine says you usually get shingles if you're severely stressed or on certain medicines.
She says it's not contagious.
To prevent the spread of shingles, do the following: VZV to others:
- Cover the rash.
- Avoid touching or scratching the rash.
- Wash your hands often.
- Avoid contact with the following people until your rash crusts
Vaccination is the best preventative against VZV. The CDC recommends two doses of vaccine to prevent shingles and related complications in adults 50 years and older.
Vaccination is also recommended for adults 19 years and older who have weakened immune systems because of disease or therapy.
You should get vaccinated even if you’ve had shingles, received the chickenpox vaccine, or never had chickenpox.
To learn more about shingles visit and .
If you need to schedule your shingles vaccine, call Southern Seven Health Department at 618-634-2297 for the public health clinic nearest you.
