Viola Davis Reveals She Was Diagnosed With Shingles
Actor Viola Davis shares her experience with shingles, a viral infection caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus. She emphasizes the importance of awareness and vaccination, noting that her busy lifestyle and age made her susceptible to the painful condition.
Why it matters
Public health awareness from high-profile figures can significantly increase vaccination rates and early detection for common but often misunderstood viral conditions.
At first, Viola Davis thought she had the flu. When the raised, painful rash that began on her stomach reappeared on her back, she told her husband she suspected a spider bite. Or, because she’s an avid gym-goer, maybe her weight belt was irritating her skin. Eventually, the actor learned she had shingles. The excruciating nerve pain, and the rashes and the blisters that emerged on her back were typical signs of the viral illness. In hindsight, Davis wishes she’d taken the time to figure out what was going on with her body sooner. “I would go from project (to project). I would end on a Friday and be on a plane on a Saturday, and on Sunday I would just be running, wearing myself down,” Davis tells TODAY.com. To top it all off, she’d recently become a mother to daughter Genesis, born in July 2010.
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