 Like a lot of people my age, I recently got the shingles vaccine. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, which I had when I was nine. The virus stays in our bodies, but can reactivate as shingles when we're in our 50s. It's a painful rash that can lead to skin infections, vision loss, even neurological problems. So getting the vaccine was a no-brainer.