>Well, getting certain infections as a child will cause permanent damage that continues into adulthood. And increasing the likelihood of getting infections also

>Well, getting certain infections as a child will cause permanent damage that continues into adulthood. And increasing the likelihood of getting infections also increases the likelihood of getting a particularly bad one. >It could certainly happen but does it happen in most case ? Shingles is from varicella-zoster virus, which causes chicken pox in children, reawakening within your nervous system at a later age. Most children in the US born earlier than 1995 were probably not vaccinated against chickenpox, and have a higher risk of shingles trashing their nervous system at an older age. Assuming "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is flawed. Viruses can lay dormant and slowly kill you, or flare up and cause complications later. A lot of viruses like herpes family, hepatitis, HIV, are bad mojo that typically leave your body permanently weaker after infection, not stronger.