Chances are, if you were born before 1995 (when the chickenpox vaccine was approved), you could end up with shingles in your later years.

About one out of three people in the U.S. develop shingles, or herpes zoster, at some point in their later years. An estimated 99 percent of people age 40 or older have had chickenpox.

Shingles is caused by the same virus that gave you chickenpox: varicella zoster. Once your body fights off the virus, it remains dormant in your body. For unknown reasons, it can cause shingles later on, typically after age 50.

The symptoms aren’t fun. The virus can cause a painful rash on one side of your face or body. You could also feel chills, stomach upset, or have a fever or headache.

In some cases, shingles can lead to postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which causes temporary, severe pain in the areas where you had the shingles rash, even after the rash is gone.

The good news? There’s a vaccine for that!

Immunizations aren’t just for kids. And shingles is disruptive and miserable enough that you should seriously consider getting vaccinated once you reach age 50.

The Shingrix vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October 2017. It comes in two doses (shots in the arm), 2-6 months apart. It’s recommended for healthy people age 50 or older, even if they’ve already had shingles. It’s more than 90 percent effective at preventing shingles and PHN.

If you’ve never had chickenpox, you should get the chickenpox vaccine. There are certain health conditions people can have where they should not be vaccinated for shingles. Be sure to talk to your primary care physician about the shingles vaccine.