Which condition is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and can reactivate as a painful rash?

• A. Warts
• B. Shingles
• C. Eczema
• D. Corns

Answer: (B)

Varicella-zoster virus hides in nerve tissue after a chickenpox infection and can reactivate later in life. When it wakes up, it travels along sensory nerves to the skin and creates a painful, unilateral vesicular rash that usually follows a band-like path called a dermatome. This distinct presentation is what clinicians refer to as shingles (herpes zoster). The other options don’t fit this scenario: warts come from human papillomavirus and are rough skin growths, eczema is an inflammatory dermatitis, and corns are thickened skin from friction or pressure. So the condition described is shingles.