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Is Shingles Contagious?
I m 80 years old. My daughter just called me to tell me she went to the doctor and was diagnosed with shingles, an area under her right breast. She spent the weekend here and showed me the red area and showed me the bra she was wearing and I handled it to see if a seam was causing the irritation. Today she went to the doctor who told her she has a case of the shingles. Now am I in danger of catching this. I had chicken pox when I was a child? Thank you for your response.
Wed, 2 Nov 2016
Dear Madam, Hi & Welcome.
It depends upon the stages of the infection.
A person with active shingles can spread the virus when the rash is in the blister-phase. A person is not infectious before the blisters appear. The virus is spread through direct contact with fluid from the rash blisters caused by shingles. Once the rash has developed crusts, the person is no longer contagious.
However, the virus that causes shingles, the varicella zoster virus, can be spread from a person with active shingles to another person who has never had chickenpox.
Those who had chickenpox during your childhood (like in your case) are unlikely to develop shingles because of the lifelong immunity following the infection during childhood.
So, there's nothing to worry about it.
Hope this answers your query.
It depends upon the stages of the infection.
A person with active shingles can spread the virus when the rash is in the blister-phase. A person is not infectious before the blisters appear. The virus is spread through direct contact with fluid from the rash blisters caused by shingles. Once the rash has developed crusts, the person is no longer contagious.
However, the virus that causes shingles, the varicella zoster virus, can be spread from a person with active shingles to another person who has never had chickenpox.
Those who had chickenpox during your childhood (like in your case) are unlikely to develop shingles because of the lifelong immunity following the infection during childhood.
So, there's nothing to worry about it.
Hope this answers your query.
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