Here is a thought exercise: Shingles are caused by the same virus as chickenpox. Apparently, it “hides” in the nervous system and re-emerges later in a person’s life, most commonly in elderly people. It is the same virus as chickenpox so why doesn’t the body attack it and remove the virus immediately? (Think about the longevity of memory cells.) Now that there is a vaccine for chickenpox, why do you think people who had chickenpox as children are starting to get shingles earlier before their immune systems have started to deteriorate?