if shingles cannot be spread to someone who has already had the chicken pox, how do you get shingles?

Question

i've heard that shingles can cause someone who hasn't had chicken pox, to get chicken pox. but they will not give someone who has had chicken pox, shingles. if this is true, how do you get shingles?

Answer 1

Shingles is not infectious in the same way as chickenpox, where the virus can be passed on in coughs and sneezes. However, shingles is contagious. This means it can be passed on by direct contact. Fluid from shingles blisters can cause chickenpox in people who are not already immune. People with shingles should avoid those with a lowered immunity.

So to answer your question you get shingles if you have had the zoster virus in your system.
Chickenpox is very common in children, and usually only causes mild illness. Once someone has had chickenpox, they are immune to further infection. However, the varicella zoster virus which causes chickenpox remains in the body for life.

Normally, the varicella virus lies dormant and does not cause health problems. But if the immune system, which normally protects the body against infection, is weakened the virus can reactivate. When reactivated, it causes shingles, which can be more serious than chickenpox.

The medical name for chickenpox is varicella zoster and for shingles it is herpes zoster.

Answer 2

If memory serves correctly... you get shingles as a result of having chicken pox earlier in life. Something from it lays dormant in the bottom of your spine and sometimes, years later, this can flare up and turn into shingles. This is why, when someone has an attack of shingles, it will only appear somewhere on the torso or head, along the line of a nerve; because it is connected to your spine. So, for example, if you get shingles on the top of your head, it has travelled up your spine and chosen to break out there. I don't completely understand the first part of your question but I don't think shingles in contagious x

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Shingles only occur in someone who has had chicken pox already. It is from the same virus and it never entirely leaves the system. When a person's immune system is compromised, "shingles" can appear from the virus that is already in your system.

I've never heard of someone passing chicken pox from shingles, but I suppose it's possible if the sores are open and someone who's never had chicken pox or received the vaccine comes into contact with them.

Answer 5

Shingles is a viral infection that is very similar to chicken pox, however it is not contagious in it's true form.

Shingles is a reactivation of the virus infection that causes chickenpox. After a person has had chickenpox the virus remains in their body, lying dormant or hidden in part of the nervous system.

For some reason, often many years later, the virus travels back down one of the nerves to the skin, where it causes a rash in the area of skin supplied by that nerve.

It's not clear what triggers reactivation of the chickenpox virus but it may be linked to changes in the immune system. Ensuring your immune system is not weakened may help to prevent this occurring.

Answer 6

Shingles is a retro virus from chicken pox.
If someone has had chicken pox, it can come back in small portions. If that happens while the person is still a child, it's called "Fifths disease." The child breaks out in rashes.
If the small portion of chicken pox comes back after the person has matured into an adult, it becomes "shingles" and is harsher than fifths disease.
In short, shingles is a mature form of chicken pox so it's contagious in the form of chicken pox.

Answer 7

When you have had Chicken Pox, you retain the ability to have shingles in your system. If the system is immunosuppresed or under stress (usually from some other medical condition or exhaustion) the herpes zoster can be activated and appear as a rash limited to a dermatome and causing moderate to severe neuralgia (nerve pain).

While they say exposure cannot cause shingles to exacerbate, I have seen in my practice people who when exposed to high levels of chicken pox develop shingles. Could be coincidental but I have seen it more than once, often in health care providers.

The secretions from shingles lesion can infect.susceptible persons.

Answer 8

Just look at shingles as the after taste of diet pop. You only get it after youve had chicken pox but only in the rare situation where everything lines up just pefectly.

And contrary to what some of these internet doctors are saying, you can't transmit shingles to anyone. You could give someone chicken pox if you have shingles but most everyone in the country has already had chicken pox and most young kids are now vaccinated against chicken pox.

Answer 9

Shingles only occurs in patients who have had a previous chickenpox infection. The virus remains dormant in the body, perhaps for ever. Something, being run down, the presence of other infections, the immune system being under par, or even intense UV light exposure, reactivates the virus. For reasons unclear it presents as a strip of infection only affecting a single dermatome ( area of skin supplies by one nerve ) on one side of the body. You are correct that this is then infectious only as chickenpox. On one occasion only I have seen a patient who had their chickenpox infection as an adult and developed shingles at the same time. Attacks of shingles do not give immunity to further episodes, but strangely the first attack of chickenpox gives generally lifelong immunity to another chickenpox infection.


IG64 is incorrect chickenpox immunisation is not yet given at all in the UK and therefore most children remain susceptible until the have an infection. I also expect to see 1 or 2 adults develop chickenpox each year. Here the disease may be more severe and sometimes requires admission. Occasionally adults, especially pregnant women die of chickenpox complications. Thus I wish we would start immunising!

Answer 10

shingles is a reactivation of the varacella zoster virus. a person cannot get shingles if they have never had chicken pox.

since it is the same virus .. varacella zoster that causes chicken pox and shingles.. some one that has shingles could possibly give another chicken pox.

varacella zoster remains in the nerves inactive after chicken pox resolves and clears up. stress and other factors will cause the virus to reactivate and return as shingles.