Shingles is the reactivation of a viral infection in the nerves to the skin that causes pain, burning, or a tingling sensation, along with an itch and blisters in the skin supplied by the affected nerve. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus[1] , or VZV—the same virus that causes chickenpox.erpes zoster —the medical term for shingles; an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, one of the herpesviruses family of viruses. herpes simplex —the medical term for a related but different virus that causes repeated mild blisters of the skin or mucous membrane.