Shingles Explained: What Is It, How Long Does It Last and Why Did Ed Sheeran Get It?
Ed Sheeran revealed in an April 2026 Instagram post that he’s been battling shingles for the last month, sending fans searching for answers about the painful viral infection. Here’s what shingles actually is, how long it lasts and how to lower your risk.
Sheeran shared on Instagram in April 2026 that he had been dealing with shingles for about a month and is now recovering. “I’ve had shingles for the last month, wouldn’t recommend it, but on the mend now,” the “Bad Habits” singer captioned his post.
Despite the painful infection, he’s not slowing down for long. “Restarting the loop tour in a week and a bit, cant wait to get back cracking on that, see you lovely people there,” he told fans.
The singer’s transparency about his health gave many of his followers their first real introduction to a condition that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will affect roughly 30 percent of people in their lifetime. Sheeran’s experience — a month-long bout that left him sidelined from his tour — tracks with what doctors describe as a typical recovery window for the viral infection.
What Is Shingles and What Causes It?
Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash, according to Mayo Clinic, and it’s caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus responsible for chickenpox. Once you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body forever, hiding in your nerve cells, where it can reactivate as shingles years later.
The rash often appears as a single stripe of blisters wrapping around the left or right side of the torso, though it can show up anywhere on the body. “The main thing with shingles is a rash. Now the rash may look initially somewhat like chickenpox where you get these little pustules and then it may crust over,” Dr. Ankush K. Bansal, a lifestyle medicine physician and hospitalist, told the American Medical Association. “But one of the other things about this is you’re going to see it in one part of the body and usually on one side of the body.”
The condition is not life-threatening, but it is painful. People who have already had chickenpox face a higher risk of shingles if they have weakened immune systems or are over the age of 50. “The main reason for that is your immunity starts to decrease as you get older,” Bansal said. “If you’re 60 versus 50, your immune system is weaker than when you are at age 50 and same for age 70 and 80. So, the chance of shingles increases.”
Bansal added that women appear slightly more vulnerable than men, though the reason isn’t clear. While you can’t spread shingles directly, you can give chickenpox to someone who has never had it. The varicella-zoster virus spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact with fluid from the blisters or by breathing in particles from them.
What Are the Symptoms of Shingles and How Long Does It Last?
Symptoms of shingles include itching, tingling, discolored or reddened skin, fever, chills, headache, malaise, upset stomach, light sensitivity, fatigue and fluid-filled blisters. The hallmark sign is the painful, banded rash that distinguishes shingles from other skin conditions.
The timeline is fairly predictable for most patients. “The rash usually shows up one to five days after symptoms start. At first, the rash looks like small, red spots that turn into blisters. The rash often occurs in a single stripe on either the left or right side of the body. In some cases, it occurs on one side of the face. In people with weaken immune systems, the rash may be more widespread on the body and look like chickenpox,” according to Johns Hopkins. “Blisters typically scab over in seven to 10 days and clear up within two to four weeks.”
That timeline lines up with Sheeran’s account of being on the mend after roughly a month. But complications can extend the misery well beyond the visible rash. Postherpetic neuralgia is the most common complication, causing increased body pain after the blisters clear up.
“It’s kind of like you have a pins and needle or sharp and shooting pain in that part of the body that got the shingles rash, and it just doesn’t go away,” Bansal said. “It’s there all the time and it’s debilitating and it’s stressful.”
How Is Shingles Treated and Can You Prevent It?
There is no cure for shingles, but antiviral medications can shorten the infection if taken within 72 hours of the rash appearing. Vaccines lower the risk of getting shingles in the first place, making prevention the most effective strategy — particularly for adults over 50 and people with weakened immune systems.
Beyond antivirals, treatment focuses on managing symptoms. Creams and lotions can help ease the itching that accompanies the rash, and prompt medical attention reduces the chance of complications like postherpetic neuralgia or vision problems. If treated early, a shingles infection can clear up quicker and the risk of long-term nerve pain drops significantly.
Bansal emphasized that age is the biggest factor most people can’t control. “The CDC says about 30 percent of people will get shingles in their lifetime and of course there are certain factors that increase your chance of getting it,” he said. “The other part of that, which is unclear, is that women are slightly more at risk than men in getting shingles. We don’t really know why, but that just seems to be what’s happening.”
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
