Most people think of the shingles virus (varicella zoster virus) as predominantly a skin-disease causing pathogen. However, the risk of having a stroke within the first 3 months of shingles can be elevated up to 300% depending on your age and location of rash. As a Professor of Neurology and expert on varicella zoster virus pathogenesis, I break down the latest mechanistic insight we have into this serious and under appreciated complication.