Shingles is a painful skin rash. It is also called zoster or herpes zoster. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus. This is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Nearly one-third of people in the United States will get shingles in their lifetime. Most people will only get it once. But some people can have more than one episode. The virus that causes shingles is not the same virus that causes oral or genital herpes. That virus is called the herpes simplex virus. The two are in the same family of viruses.