What You Should Know about Shingles

Is shingles contagious? That’s a simple enough question. However, the answer can be a little more complex. First, let’s establish who is at risk of getting it. Though a majority of outbreaks occur in older people over the age of 60, anyone who has had chicken pox can contract the disease.

There are certain factors that make people more likely to develop the disease. Individuals with weakened immune systems, those undergoing medical treatments (radiation and chemotherapy) and those who have had bone or lymphatic cancer are more susceptible to contracting it.

One positive thing about it is that once you’ve had the disease you’re not likely to have to worry about getting it a second time. Most people develop it only once.

However, individual do in rare cases experience reoccurrences in areas different from the original outbreak.

When it breaks out on a person, that person can transmit the varicella-zoster virus to any person who has not had chickenpox. In general, a person must come in direct contact with the open soars of the rash to contract the disease.

However, what makes the spread of the varicella virus more interesting is that the person infected will develop chickenpox, not what we are talking about here. The virus cannot be spread to an individual who has had chickenpox and has a normal immune system.

As a rule, the virus that causes this condition can be spread from person to person, but when it moves from person to person it causes chickenpox rather than shingles.