Shingles

[cris r]

Hi my husband has just been diagnosed with Shingles. The rash is on his shoulder it is small and he has had it for two days. Does anyone now how long he will be contagious for, are grandchildren and family are due down on friday and I dont want them here if the children are going to catch anything they are only six months and two years and have not had chicken pox. Thanks x

[plautus]

They are not contagious. My sympathies though, only ever had them once and never again, I hope.

[Eve]

An answer here:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/infections/202838.html

Also best to avoid anyone with a compromised immune system, on immune system supressing drugs etc... as it can be quite dangerous for them to catch the virus.

[237SJ]

I had shingles (mildly) about 6 years ago. By the time I got to see the doctor, the rash had formed scabs which had dried out. He said that at that stage, I was not contagious. If they are on your husband`s shoulder, they are going to be covered by clothing. Maybe he could put a dry dressing on for extra peace of mind.

[cris r]

Thanks for all the information think I will ask them to come a few days later just to be on the safe side xx

[Sqad]

plautus is correct.........shingles is not contagious.

The grandchildren are safe.

[237SJ]

I thought shingles was contagious if you haven`t had chickenpox. You can`t catch shingles from shingles but you can catch chickenpox from shingles. Am I wrong or am I wrong?

[237SJ]

When I say you can catch chickenpox from shingles BTW I mean if you haven`t had chickenpox.

[Eve]

Sqad, out of interest, why do they note it as a concern if you have a suppressed immune system if you come into contact with people with the shingles or chickenpox virus? I've had chickenpox but if I'm right it can, rarely, get you more than once.

I'm not worried, just curious as I always see it in the warnings.

[plautus]

At the age of 11 I was told, wrongly, that as I had just had chicken pox I would never catch shingles.

At the age of 36 I knew otherwise.

[237SJ]

You don`t catch shingles. You get it if you have ever been infected with the Herpes Zoster virus. If you have been infected, nobody and say that you won`t develop shingles. It stays in your system and can come out in times of stress/worry/being run down etc.

[DaisyNonna]

My daughter was told that if she had chicken pox once it would never recur. Now has been diagnosed with chicken pox 3 times, last time with a week old baby.

[slaney]

Sqad, we've had this conversation before I think.
Shingles is reactivation of a previous chickenpox infection after many years usually. The virus (Varicella-zoster) travels down the nerve roots, and is present in the blisters; so anyone who is not immune to chickenpox can be infected.
As it says in Jenna's article, best to wait until the blisters have dried up.
You agreed with me here sqad...
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Body-and-Soul/Health-and-Fitness/Question1142784.html

[RATTER15]

I had shingles twice, really not pleasant!!

[Sqad]

slaney

\\\ if you haven't had chickenpox then you can catch it (chickenpox) from the blister fluid (of shingles).\\

That is what i said from the link that you gave of our ptrvious thread on the subject, and i stand by that.

I suppose that I didn't take the word contagious seriously enough and what i meant in this thread was that the grandchildren could only be infected by direct contact with the "blister fluid" and not by any other method.

I should have been more specific.