I had chickenpox as a child. Mrs IHN had chickenpox as a child. We’ve got someone coming to visit at the weekend (dog behaviour fella) who’s let us know that he’s unfortunately at the ‘potentially contagious’ stage of shingles, and would we still like him to come round. It’s on his head apparently, but he’ll cover it up and not touch it.

We could cancel him coming round, but we’d rather not, as we’d like to get on with dementalizing the new pooch.

Any issue/risk there?

If you have had chicken pox it is my understanding you are okay – you can’t ‘catch’ shingles, you can just get chicken pox from the virus if you haven’t contracted it before.

I don’t think shingles is contagious unless you touch the fluid from the blisters

I had chicken pox as a child and shingles two years ago.

Was told that I wasn’t contagious once blisters had scabbed and didn’t run myself on folk. Was warned to be especially careful around those with compromised immunity and preggers ladies.

You can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles but ordinarily you won’t if you have had it before

You’ll be fine. Unless either of you have a compromised immune system. Fun fact: You still probably have the dormant chicken pox virus in your body – the reactivation of which is how dog chap has developed his shingles.

Cool, cheers all.

You still probably have the dormant chicken pox virus in your body – the reactivation of which is how dog chap has developed his shingles.

Yay!

You still probably have the dormant chicken pox virus in your body

I thought it was a case of you *DO* have

You do realise you mentioned a dog so, you know, this is an inadvertent dog post with no supporting dog photo.

Reports IHN for being a bad person, the baddestest in fact.

Just avoid your usual practice of licking guests and you’ll be fine.

Just avoid your usual practice of licking guests and you’ll be fine.

Sheesh, fiiiiiiiiiiiine….

I’d post a photo of the dog if it wasn’t such a ballache to host it somewhere else first

Has your dog had chickenpox?

Just avoid your usual practice of licking guests and you’ll be fine.

Dog licks dog man.

Dog licks IHN.

Pox fest ensues,

Dog licks dog man.

Isn’t that some sort of French arthouse movie?

I thought it was a case of you *DO* have

I think you’re right, but couldn’t be bothered to look up whether latency occurred after every varicella infection. 🙂

“dog licks man”, i think we have both the best band name suggestion and a convergence of forum threads……..

I looked into this a few weeks back.

Shingles is the re-emergence of dormant Chicken Pox.

If you’ve had chicken pox then the more chicken pox you’re exposed to the better because it boosts your immunity and reduces your chances of getting shingles in later life. Incredibly that’s why the NHS don’t immunise children against Chicken pox – we want adults to have more exposure to Chicken Pox in their adult life to increase our immunity: We literally use our Children as as a natural booster to our immunity so fewer adults get shingles!

So unless you’re frail and elderly or in a weak state for some other reason this visit will do you a great deal of good.

The bad news is if you live long enough there’s an 80pc chance of getting Shingles. Cheer up though, you might die before you get it.

…and if it really worries you you can pay £120 quid or so to get vaccinated at a UK high street Chemist which will boost your immunity reduce your chance of shingles.

So you’re saying I should lick him?

So you’re saying I should lick him?

I’m saying Science says you should lick him. 😀

Shingles rash sheds the virus into the air for you to breathe. He needs to cover up the rash or stay away.

Last time I had it I felt like crap while at work. The infected chap would be better resting up and coming back when feeling better.

Can also get shingles without having chicken pox first. Was a sharp increase in child shingles a few years back IIRC

Can also get shingles without having chicken pox first.

Linky? When I researched this I found that by definition you can’t. Shingles is the re-emergence of Chicken Pox from the place in your spine where the virus lives when it’s dormant. Once you’ve had Chicken Pox once all contact with Chicken Pox does is give you better defence against the dormant Chicken Pox living in your spine.

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Hope-Through-Research/Shingles-Hope-Through-Research#3223_1

Yeah my shingles was brought on by a pretty big crash, had to go for x-rays on possible broken ribs/shoulder blade/ac joint/shoulder(shingles followed 2weeks later). I’m not sure about the aerosolised virus. Docs said I was ok to go straight back to work (school) just be careful about the pustules.

You don’t catch shingles as such …
It is dormant in you nerve endings once you have had chicken pox. What generally makes it happen is stress / immuno supression etc…
If you haven’t had chicken pox … and are not immunised against it, then I would guess you could get CP from someoen with shingles.
BTW, by the time it has started to scab it is no longer contagious. That is in the weepy zit phase …