shingles

[vickyking]

If someone with shingles come in contact with a pregnant women. Is this dangerous?

[Bob...]

Shingles during pregnancy can be serious. Pregnant women who get chickenpox or shingles have a higher than normal risk of developing pneumonia. In rare cases, an unborn child exposed to varicella zoster can be damaged or may be miscarried. However this is less likely with shingles than chickenpox. More info here http://tinyurl.com/4hm2j

[becks]

Unless the pregnant woman has already had shingles in which case she shouldn't be able to catch it again. However i wouldn't risk it.

[kags]

You cannot catch shingles, but you could possibly catch chicken-pox from someone with shingles if you come into contatct with fluid from a blister. This would only be if you were not already immune to chicken-pox through vaccination or having had the disease previously. In all events, pregnant women would be best advised to steer clear of anybody with chicken-pox or shingles, to minimise any risk.

[IggyB]

if you can't catch shingles how do you get it in the first place?

[rinkytink]

Hope this will clear up the confusion:

Are shingles catching?

Yes. Shingles can be spread from an affected person to children or adults who have not had chickenpox. Instead of developing shingles, these people develop chickenpox. Once they have had chickenpox, people cannot catch shingles (or contract the virus) from someone else. Once infected, however, persons have the potential to develop shingles later in life.

Shingles are contagious, to persons that have not previously had chicken pox, as long as there are new blisters forming and old blisters healing. Once all of the blisters are crusted over, the virus can no longer be spread.

SHINGLES INFO