Are Shingles Contagious ?

From the words meaning, it seems that herpes zoster and herpes are similar disease. Both diseases are with many similar symptoms. For example, they both have blisters and pain, they need about 2 weeks to go away and can reoccur. Thus, is herpes zoster is one kind of herpes? The answer is no, they are caused by different virus. Herpes zoster is also known as shingles which is caused by varicella zoster virus, while herpes is caused by both herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2).
If you have got both herpes and herpes zoster before, you can feel that they are total different. herpes is common on the mouth and genital organs, while herpes zoster is usually on the trunk.