4 Answers

Shingles(herpes zoster} form chicken pox(varicella virus) runs along the nerve ganglions often in the thoracic region.Very painful.More frequently seen in the elderly.

Use separate linen. Consult pharmacy or  Doctor for treatments.

As far as I know it's not contagious as we have that particular virus in our bodies (very similar to the chicken pox virus),,,but I do know it's very painful as I had the shingles some years back

I've been told they are but both Mom and Dad had them and I never got them.  Just make sure you don't get the "juice" from a lesion on any other body part of someone else and you should be fine.  For the pain and itch, use calamine lotion. 

Is Shingles a contagious disease?
Although the VZV virus that causes chickenpox and shingles disease can spread through the direct contact of any healthy person (who never had chickenpox in his/her life) with the open wounds/rashes/blisters of the patient suffering from shingles disease, Shingles is not a fully contagious disease.

A healthy person can never develop Shingles disease after he/she comes in informal contact (not involving much of physical contact, or a direct contact with the rash) with the patient suffering from Shingles, or sneezing or coughing of patient when the healthy person is in vicinity. The only phase when this disease is contagious is when the patient has developed blisters with clear fluid and the rash covering the blisters has not developed crusts.