Shingles: Not just a band of blisters around the body, making it difficult to diagnose
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TV actress Cynthia Koh (centre) sharing what her mother, Madam H.K. Tan, went through when she had shingles in 2014.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Follow topic:
- "Shielding from Shingles" was launched on Oct 28 to raise awareness about shingles among Singaporean seniors, with about 30,000 people infected each year.
- Shingles symptoms aren't always rashes on the torso, as Madam H.K. Tan's and Mr Lionel Lee's experiences showed. Early diagnosis is crucial for treatment.
- Shingrix vaccine was added to the National Adult Immunisation Schedule on Sept 1, 2025, with 14,000 people aged 18 years and above getting the jab.
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SINGAPORE – Madam H.K. Tan, 76, had shingles in her inner left ear.
It was not diagnosed in time, resulting in her having Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication that caused a painful blistering rash in her ear, facial nerve paralysis on the left side of her face, vertigo and headaches.
Audiovisual executive Lionel Lee, 60, thought he was having a heart attack when the pain in his lower back moved to his chest.
He, too, was diagnosed with shingles too late for antiviral medication to work.
The cases of Madam Tan and Mr Lee – in 2014 and 2023, respectively – show that shingles symptoms do not always appear as a band of blisters on the torso,
Mr Lionel Lee contracted shingles in January 2023 and still experiences phantom pain in his arm and side today.
ST PHOTO: JUDITH TAN
They shared their experiences at Singapore’s first shingles awareness ground-up initiative, called “Shielding from Shingles”, which was launched at Far East Square on Oct 28.
Shingles is sometimes difficult to diagnose because its initial symptoms, such as pain and tingling, can mimic other conditions before the characteristic rash appears. Also, when shingles occurs in people with a compromised immune system, there can be no rash at all.
More than nine in 10 people in Singapore aged 50 years or older carry the chickenpox virus, which may later reactivate as shingles, putting them at risk of the disease.
The initiative encourages seniors and their caregivers to learn more about shingles and discuss health concerns with their doctors.
It is a collaboration among five social service agencies – Diabetes Singapore, Lion Befrienders, Presbyterian Community Services, Singapore Amalgamated Services Co-operative Organisation (Sasco), and Touch Community Services.
An estimated 30,000 people in Singapore suffer from the illness each year, and people can get shingles more than once, with only those who have had chickenpox being at risk.
Doctors say that with the possible complications of shingles, those with pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease also face a higher risk of severe outcomes, such as stroke and heart attack.
Despite the relatively high risk of occurrence, only one in four has consulted or intended to speak with their doctors about the illness, indicating a gap between awareness of shingles and taking action to mitigate its risk among the senior population, including getting vaccinated against it.
The Shingrix vaccine for shingles was added to the National Adult Immunisation Schedule on Sept 1, 2025
In that month, more than 14,000 individuals aged 18 years and above received the vaccination; of these, 13,200 were aged 60 years and above, according to the National Immunisation Registry.
The OG Gang on TikTok, (from left) Zhu Houren, Richard Low and Chen Shucheng, were at the event at Far East Square to get seniors started on discussing shingles.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
At the event, Madam Tan’s daughter, TV actress Cynthia Koh, 51, told an audience of more than 100 seniors from several active ageing centres that shingles can happen in hidden places and not just appear on the body.
“My mum had shingles back in 2014. She woke up with giddiness, nausea and (felt) the room was spinning.
“She was warded and the nurses found rashes in her left ear. She was given antibiotics and discharged after three to four days. Her condition worsened and we called for an ambulance,” Ms Koh said.
After several scans, Madam Tan was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
“It affected her hearing, her speech and at times we had to tape her left eyelid shut (because of the affected nerve on her face). It was a terrible year-long ordeal for her. Today, there are still remnants of the pain,” Ms Koh said.
Similarly, Mr Lee still suffers from postherpetic neuralgia, or phantom pain, on his arm.
His fight with shingles “started as back pain”. He said: “Thinking it was muscle ache, I stuck an anti-inflammatory plaster there. I tore it off quickly before I took a shower and the pain was excruciating. The pain moved to my chest and I thought it was a heart attack, so I took myself to the hospital.”
Unfortunately, Mr Lee said he received a message on his phone saying he had been with people who came down with Covid-19 infection, and he was treated as a Covid-19 patient at the hospital.
It was only days later that a doctor friend told Mr Lee he had shingles after seeing the blisters on him.
“By then, it was too late for the antiviral jab,” he said.
