Is shingles contagious?

Answer 1

Shingles itself is not contagious. You can’t spread the condition to another person. However, the varicella-zoster virus is contagious, and if you have shingles, you can spread the virus to another person, which could then cause them to develop chickenpox.

Comments

Can someone with shingles give chicken pox to children?

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Chickenpox can be spread from people with shingles to others who have never had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine if the non-immune person touches or breathes in virus from shingles blisters.

If your baby is too young to have received the vaccine, or your child cannot receive the vaccine for some reason, do your best to keep him or her away from anyone with shingles or chickenpox. Since there is still a small chance of developing a mild case of chickenpox even with the vaccine, it’s best to keep all kids away from anyone showing symptoms of these two conditions.