Shingles Disease: Is Shingles Contagious?

Comments on article "Shingles Disease: Is Shingles Contagious?"
Name Views and CommentsDate
ajay1285 CAN SHINGLES BE CAUSED BY USING IV DRUGS... 1/14/2012
Sharon How contagous is this to an infant child that has had no shots yet? 11/8/2011
Karen S these are very helpful comments, but im not sure how long to have off of work, i feel exhausted and am sleeping throughout the day, and still sleeping all night 8/22/2011
Anna Thank you for this helpfful information. 7/31/2011
Lisa Hall I was just dish osiers with shingles on 7-29-2011. I also have lupus, what are my chances of remission, they also diagnosed me diabetes mellitus on the same day.Is anyone.Is anyone dealing with all this at the same time if so please share. 7/30/2011
Karen My brother, who lives with me, (age 42) just got diagnosed with shingles. My 6 year old son has had the vaccine BUT I am invited to a birthday dinner Satruday (4 days from now) and her newborn grandchild will be there. Can I carry anything and pass it on to him? karensue0748 at yahoo please and thanks-I have googled all over the internet and cannot find a satisfying answer! 7/5/2011
Dorothy McMille How do you tell the differance between shingles and hives? 6/20/2011
j wilson i found this article very useful 6/16/2011
CAROLYN COOKE VERY HELPFUL... THANK YOU FOR YOUR CLEAR INFORMATION. 5/30/2011
boo79 very interesting, my own mother actually cures shingles since she was 19, through healing powers in her blood. 5/1/2011
Bonnie My sister has shingles and needs me to drive her to the doctor, Will I be at risk of catching it? 4/14/2011
j m great info thanks,, just dont develop into a pay as you go system! otherwise great! 3/26/2011
Milo Hauzer This site seems to be very helpful. 3/18/2011
anonymous Is shingles contagious if touched? My dad has shingles and ik apply cream on it but i do not use gloves is it contagious 3/17/2011
H. Folds 75 Y/O female developed Shingles 02/27/11. Husband of 56 yrs. had Herpes Encepholitis in 2003. Was gravely ill. How likely is he to develop shingles again (from me). I am concerned. What do I need to do. Thank you. Mrs. Folds 2/28/2011
Carol I am a care give l am going to be looking after a person who has just got shingles I have been given lots of gloves to wear I had chicken pox at an early age am over 50 and very healthy but am still nervous about this. 2/24/2011
Deanna The first sign of my shingles, and later I found out the first sign for my niece's, was severe pain in our teeth and gum area on the side of the face the shingles eventually emerged. I have not seen this as a symptom and think it might help others to discover the diagnosis faster if they know this is a possible area of involvement. 2/16/2011
clare this was very helpful 2/14/2011
Jeanne b if one has had the shingles can they catch it sitting next to someone with the shingles? 2/7/2011
Beverly I have shingles on my stomach, Is it ok for me to be around my granddaughter who has never had chicken pox? Can my husband catch it if we kiss? 2/4/2011
Elaine rooney I am 58 year old female and 99% sure I have shingles on the back of my knee. I have seen a GP today who has given medication, I am wanting to vist my 6 week old grand daughter in 5 days time, is it contagious and can she get chicken pox from me 1/30/2011
constance roy i had my first outbreak at 27 year old. is this normal? 1/23/2011
constance roy i am happy to know so much about shingles. i had mine when i was 27 years old. is this normal.the pain was unbeleivable.i had mine on my right eyebrow.it left a scar. 1/23/2011
Sherri I meant to ask, can a healthy person living with somoene who has active shingles carry it to someone susceptible? 1/21/2011
sherri can a healthy person living with shingles carry the virus to someone at risk for being infected, like an elerly person in a nursing home? 1/21/2011
june feller you seem to contradict yourself in different statements 1/17/2011
ChrisP. This a very debilitating disease that a cure is so needed and over due for. 1/12/2011
Reva I have broken out with a shingles rash seven days ago & went to Dr for meds. How long should I stay home? 1/8/2011
Reva I have broken out with a shingles rash seven days ago & went to Dr for meds. How long should I stay home? 1/8/2011
Diane Can a person get shingles more than once? 1/7/2011
lee i have a friend who said shes using asian medician and the shingles are clearing up? but my question is, shes still contagious? 12/21/2010
brad very informative this will straighten out a lot of hoo-haa with my friends 11/26/2010
vell very well explained thanksvel 11/24/2010
Jeff Is shingles a sexually transmitted disease? 11/18/2010
stanley i think the world should come to its notice that shingles is a dangerous disease even though it isnt common,i will advice that world scientists should do something about it 11/13/2010
grammar police The word "it's" should not have an apostrophe. "Who's at the risk" should read "Who's at risk." 10/17/2010
Marlyn D I recently found out the rash on my waistline is shingles but, my doctor refuse to see me until six days after. I am 33 years old . Should i be concerned for my age to get this disease ? And how long i waited for it to be treated properly ? 9/17/2010
dan when is a person no longer contagious and safe to come in contact with anyone? 9/16/2010
christy thank you for the great insight. my mom just developed the shingles desease, and i thought it was only for people who were hiv positive. now i can help her with the info to ease the pain. thatnk you 9/10/2010
Helen What is the duiration of shingles? I have them on my lower bottom. Is this a commone place for them to break out? 9/6/2010
Jean Mumma I'm 80 and a recovering victim of Shingles. About two years ago I had the vaccine to prevent Shingles, and I feel that vaccine made my case a very light one
with a slight rash limited to my forehead and hairline. However, the accompanying headache was almost unbearable. A full blow case must be awful.		 8/17/2010
Kay Waltzer If one has had shingles can they take the shingles shot to prevent any more outbreaks? It has been 1 1/2 years since having shingles on my hand? 8/4/2010
Dee Thanks so much. You gave me a very detail article.Answer all my questions. 7/28/2010
marianne donner I have rhumatoid arthritis. How vulnerable am I to catching shingles again? 7/24/2010
drew my duaghter has never had the chickenpox and her grandmother just found out she has shingles. Should she go for her weekly visit? 7/14/2010
Tootie Can shingles and fifth disease have similar rash 7/11/2010
gloria What is the normal timeframe that it takes to get over shingles 7/10/2010
Yvonne Stander very good, however I dont think I have it, no blisters just excruciating pain on the left in region of the jkidmey. 7/6/2010
Beck loose is not the same as lose. You might lose your eyesight, but your eyes probably will not become loose enough to fall off of your head. 7/6/2010
Ernie Gonzales very informative, i appreciate this information, as it enlightens me on many things i do not know. i have used it whenever i want to find answers. thank you for it 7/1/2010
kats003 I question the age of this article. There are several meds available for the treatment of herpes zoster. 6/27/2010
Jodi can you get shingles from kissing someone w it during the contagious phase 6/15/2010
charlotte does shingles effect the nervous system? 6/14/2010
michelle does witch hazel help? 6/11/2010
iris Can u get shingles with out the rash? 5/23/2010
Christina With all the typos and poor spelling throughout this document, I am skepticle about the accuracy of this information... 4/29/2010
Elizabeth Hello - I'm Elizabeth & I Have This Disease You Guys Call Shingles. To Me, I Call It Man-nue-ca. I Live Across The Street From All You Guys. Visit Me Sometime - Its Kinda Lonely That's Why I'm On The Computer. Its Not Contagious Or Anything. We All Can Share This Disease. I Get Plenty Of Respect &nd Plenty Of Stares Because I Have Hair. I Used To Be Bald Headed Like Them Rats. But Now I Have Hair Because Of The Disease. Check My Myspace Out, Plenty Of Pictures Before And After. Please Comment &nd Tagg. My Mom Says That I Look Good And That I'm A Little B1tch. My Mom Put Me On The Corner For Hours And Lots Of Horny Men Come And Stick Their Big/Small Package Up Me. They Also Bite On My Shingles. It Felt GOOODDDD`! (: You Should Try It - You'll Love It. Once You Go Shingle, You Gotta Jingle. And There Is No Way Back. Peace - My Shingles Is Jingling. 4/26/2010
Scarlett Take 3000 mg of Vitamin C a day and Lysine, helped me deal with the pain. 4/13/2010
Diane Jenkins I was told that if you have never had chicken pox you cannot catch or have shingles. Is this correct? 4/6/2010
Simone Can a person get shingles more than once? I know people who claim they have had shingles a number of times, but my husband's doctor says a person can only get them once. 4/5/2010
Anne Very helpful information. 3/31/2010
m spencer I ride in a car with a person who just got shinges can I catch this disease from him 3/24/2010
julius This is very helpful very much needed information 3/23/2010
Sherry L. Hea Good information. My main concern is whether or not it is a contagious disease. I have friends with compromised immune
systems and wondered if I should stay away from them. Now I
know. Thank you.		 3/16/2010
Ann How long do the blisters with running clear liquid last? 3/13/2010
Carol W I touched the bumps on my girlfriends forehead before she was diagnosed with shingles, will I get it? 2/27/2010
Carol 2 days prior to her shingles diagnosis I felt reddened bumps on my friends forehead, I have had chickenpox - am I at risk of getting shingles? 2/27/2010
sandra i was just told on saturday that i have the shingles, i work at the hosptial how long do i have to stay away from work 2/24/2010
Liz i think it's scary and i think i have it :/ 2/5/2010
greg whiteside What is the incubation period of shingle after exposure? 2/4/2010
jenny I was told that my shingles was contagious, but my family was fine since all had had chicken pox already. I had what felt like a spice in my eye, and it kept spreading through the right side of my face and into my hair-only that side. I still thought I must have gotten something in my eye that I am allergic too, so I went to the eye doctor. He knew right away what it was but I was his youngest ever (31 years). He left the room did some research and came back to tell me the diagnosis. He had me see my regular doc the same day who thought he was crazy until I told her who my doc was. So she agreed to give me meds for shingles for one week-that is it. I had to revisit the eye doc to get meds for longer, like a month. It is sad that one doc does not believe another doc and my regular doc was so wrong too. I feel like I can't trust her now. 1/31/2010
Kristie I have rheumatoid lung (diagnosed over 10 years ago) which is now in my joints as well. I am on prednisone and methotrexate. I now have shingles. I have had a fever since Wed. and cough. I started Valtrex on Thurs. evening. The cough is what concerns me with my lungs. 1/30/2010
Jeannette K where can I find the answers to these questions. 1/27/2010
jen can i get shingles from a person who was diagnosed when we took her to the doctor-she had the blisters for 1 day. 1/22/2010
kioni mitchell the is quite alot of interesting info. please keep it up 1/14/2010
LUBNA KODEIH CAN SHINGLES ATTACK JOINTS AND THE NERVES? 1/12/2010
polly excellent web site 1/7/2010
ylukens can you get shingles more than once? 1/2/2010
Emilz Okan, 15 This was the best info. I could find! (I have it right now) Thanx for your help! = 3 12/23/2009
Barbara if your husband gets shingles, can it effect the pregnant wife? 12/22/2009
Chip I didn't get an answer. 12/22/2009
Chip Can I swim in the ocean with shingles? 12/22/2009
Skip This was very good info. Thank you 12/16/2009
jerry curci i had shingles last year now in law has it can I catch it again casual contact? what if someone visits that infected person cna they transmit to me since I had it before 12/4/2009
Karen L. Shingles can last anywhere from one week to a life-time. And yes, you can get shingles more than once. However, I have been told that once you've had the initial experience of shingles, your second bout of shingles will not be as painful. I am now in my 11th or 12th week and I still have a bulge underneath my breast where the nerves are inflamed. Still some pain but nowhere near what it was. Yes, it was a pain where I cried, too. My doctor has told me that there is no cure and the medical profession knows little about it so I'm surprised that one of the persons said it is cured with Valtrax because I was not even given Valtrax (I don't think). I was so sick the first few weeks, I didn't even know what I was taking. I used the patches, too, but they were not much of a relief for me but everyone is different. 12/1/2009
Karen L. I am taking neurotin. Is this ample for the disease. Shouldn't I be taking an anti-viral medication? My pharmacist has told me that Neurotin is the No. 1 medication that is given for shingles. 12/1/2009
mary e. miller if you have had shingles should you still get the vaccine? 11/7/2009
BD Actually, there is an anti-viral (one pill, one big hit) that really decreases the symptoms and cuts the length of the attack. At least for post-herpetic neuralgia, which is what I have. Sorry, can't recall the name of it. 10/28/2009
donnie. smith I am considering having the shingles vaccine so I will never get this diseas. Is this vaccine recommended by the medical profession? 10/26/2009
judy king I started feeling pain in my back and chest on Sept. 29,2009, I sought emergency medical treatment on the third day to rule out a heart attack, after putting eloctrodeson my chest and back to monitor my heart the next day I broke out in an awful angry rash, at that point they determined I had shingles, I was given doses of valtrax and prednisone which made me fill better right away, I am off all meds for the exception of Ibuprofan when needed, the rash has subsided and the itch and miserable sensitivity is all but gone, but I feel fatigued and not well. . It is Oct 22nd today. 10/22/2009
Mina B. Under 'Who's at Risk'
please take out the age of 50 as being "OLD"- i am 51 and ironically have shingles as we speak!		 10/22/2009
judy morgan Can shingles cause your legs to hurt when walking 10/22/2009
judy morgan Can shingles cause your legs to hurt when walking 10/22/2009
joyce how long does virus live before treatment is started. rash has developed. 10/20/2009
Rita very informative, except it is a dumb picture; it only shows a picture of black where the rash might be. Just looks like a good looking man to me. 10/17/2009
julia do children get shingles at 12 or 13 years old 10/3/2009
kamau gatwechi well that is a well researched work easy read and on point especially for us in third world country like kenya 10/3/2009
Sally If you have shingles when pregnant is there any danger in harming the baby? 10/1/2009
jennifer jackso how would you disinfect a room that a person that has the shingles in a camp 10/1/2009
Claudia This article is not current. There are a number of antiviral drugs that can reduce the length and severity of shingles. Calamine lotion and over the counter NSAIDs are also useful. 9/26/2009
paula fuschillo if ihad the shingles vaccine.. how long is it good for.?i was just exposed to someone w shingles had crusty blisters...can i catch it?am i immuned with the vaccine? 9/24/2009
Treasua ...so, does this mean that if an elderly person gets Shingles, he or she has some underlying disease? 9/21/2009
Barry Austin Excellent description and explanation of Shingles. Answered all my queries. Thank you 9/13/2009
angela sandy vrey informative
helpful hints
put my mind at ease		 9/13/2009
spotten.1 how do you get shingles 9/1/2009
Bob i was just diagnosed with shingles and yet have never had the chicken pox in my 39 years off life. I have no rash or blisters, it's just my skin hurts on my front and back left side. Doctor gave me a prescription for valtrex. heres for hoping it works... 8/18/2009
Lamont Twyne How long does this problem last ? Can it spread to other people ? 8/18/2009
Chris Calleja I found the articles very informative and helped me understand the cause of the disease, etc. 8/10/2009
elaine my children are 10 and 12 they have never had the chicken pox.
Can they get chicken pox from person who has shingles?		 8/7/2009
Jorge Leyva excellent information 8/7/2009
Lori Lear FNP 32 week pregnant mother has had chicken pox and shingles in past. had brief contact with pt. who has crusted over shingles over 1 week old. is this mother or baby at any risk 7/28/2009
Jimmy Can you have shingles even though you do not develope blisters? 7/26/2009
Bill Beaver How many times can a person get Shingles 7/25/2009
denise Thank u so much for this information! I am 42 year old and Iam having singles for the 4 time. I never devlped this condition until I moved to USA. Now, I get it every time I'm under to much stress n not able to eat. It is the worse pain I have had in my life! 7/25/2009
Pat Will contact to a 2 year old cause him to be infected? Would he get chicken pox from my shingles? 7/15/2009
Peter Jardine I appreciate the article. It uses the phrase 'Shingles emerges..' and that is my experience. Shingles, I now comprehend, develops within the body for a length of time before conditions allow a 'flare up'. It tormented me for months before emerging. How could I tell my doctor "the pain travels about my torso on a day to day basis' ? When I did show him my flare up he simply said 'Shingles' and wrote a prescription. I think it grew for some four years before emerging, others may question this timespan. 7/4/2009
Lenny Very informative and interesting. My personal experience has been slightly different. 6/29/2009
Angela C. I am currently 14, but I was 13 when I got shingles. I got them on the left side of my face. They were excruciatingly painful. I had them for a period of 2 weeks. I lost my apatite and 20 lbs. I could hardly eat a piece of bread the size of a quarter. But I had a wonderful recovery. I gained all my weight back. And there was very minimal scaring and no persisting pain. 6/28/2009
Mickey There is a girl at work who has shingles. She handles and delivers our interoffice mail. Should I be worried about getting shingles from my mail? 6/24/2009
joe Singles are contagious. How are they transmitted from one person to the next. Can the fluid from blisters get on bed sheets, then onto another person? 6/23/2009
patgoldman I am concerned that one of our parishioners has shingles even in her mouth and may spread it to the eldely at our church where 90%ost of the population is over 50 6/19/2009
marilyn should I stay from children after my shingles vaccine is given 6/13/2009
Jerry Was this translated from German or something? 6/6/2009
Lettie E i want to find out if someone in the worrd have on going shingles like me mainly before my menstrual period and everyohter month.i have shinlges since i was 15 years old till now sometimes is very rough and sometimes very mild they disappear in a few days and another accasion for few weeks is very painfull i never consutl formaly to a doctor please give me a good opinion of what to do and what type of doctor can i consult 6/5/2009
Maci i am 13 years of age, I havs shingles. they were the most painful thing that has ever happened to me, i was wonder if this disease is something that stays with you and can come back at any time( like herpes). 5/20/2009
Mary I came to this site because my child's teacher has shingles and is now back at school after 1 day off. I aassume she's on an antiviral, but I wonder if she should be around children right now. I called our advice nurse and she said that in close contact situations (like leaning over someone's desk, maybe?) there is the possibility of respiratory contraction of the virus. I remember when my mom had shingles last year, we kept the kids away. It would be great if your site had more detailed information for parents about the danger of contracting chicken pox from a shingles patient. thanks. 5/14/2009
jose very informative. article answered my questions 5/12/2009
bertha herr enjoyed seeing all the information. It was great and interesting. i went thru it. 5/4/2009
miranda hi i am 13 and i have tham and i cant go to my friends until i am well and that could take months or maybe evan years and i dont know what to do 4/24/2009
stacey they say they come to older people but what about children 4/17/2009
Carol McGlinche How long does the pain last? 4/17/2009
danielle by the way, i'm only fifteen and for some reason i have it... lucky me! 4/15/2009
danielle shingles is horrible. i hate ever second of it. i was told it wasn't contagious at all, then i saw this. knowing that its absolutely horrible i went around my house disinfecting all my doorknobs because i don't want anyone to experience it 4/15/2009
Maxene A co-worker has 'shingles' I have not had chickenpox that I can remember, can I give the virus to my young children? They have not been vaccinated that I know of. Is the chickenpox vaccination included with the MRM vaccines they get as babies and do they need boosters? 2/25/2009
SUSAN MARIANO CAN SHINGLES DEVELOPE (UNDER THE SKIN)HEAD I WOULD
LIKE AN ANS. AS SOMEONE WE KNOW HAS HAD IT. I THOUGHT IT WAS A RASH ON THE OUTSIDE.		 2/5/2009
art langley i have shingles now for 5 days, went to the doc, got valtrex, 15dollars per pill,1000mg, will let you know if it works i also have cancer stage 4lymph node, have had 72 rad treatments, i think thats where i got it, always have a chest cold, imune system very weak 1/30/2009
Karen Lewinski If a person has the rash and it has not crusted over and another person
has ly licked off the spoon of the infected person. can the other
person catch shingles?		 1/26/2009
Kacey Thank you very much my mother has the shingles,and the article has helped evey much thank you 1/19/2009
Betty What about a person who has been diagnosed with shingles and
has no blisters but does have intense itching? Is that really' shingles?		 1/19/2009
Mel A little outdated- there now is a
"cure" for shingles, i.e. Valtrex ((valacyclovir)		 1/9/2009
yvonne thomas hi, i have an open wounds on my skin due to contact dermatitis from a chemical called dy methil fumerate.
what are my chances of contacting shingles/ or mrsa as two clients in my care have been diagnosed with these infections?		 12/30/2008
Edna Donnelly Very useful given I have just been diagnosed with Shingles. 12/9/2008
Rose My friend was just diagnosed with Shingles. You cannot put into words how upset and scared I am. She's only in 6th grade, an 11 year old. I cannot believe this. I can't. I just hope there's a cure somewhere out there, and she can get better. 11/11/2008
Lila M Can you get shingles more than once? 10/29/2008
tony thanks, very useful 9/23/2008
Barbie H I am 66 and just found out I have shingles. My physician said I am not contagious to anyone except pregnant women and infants. My husband's physician did not agree and said I was contagious to everyone. Expecially my grandson who is 9 and has never had pox but has been immunized 2 times. Hard to find the "real" answer. This is a dreadful disease and wonder if my father's remedy for life (he drank it every day) warm water, apple cider vinegar and honey. Maybe I will try that when my medication is gone. Just wanted to share this with you. 8/1/2008
Shirley Curtis excellent article, very helpful. I got all the answers I was looking for 7/13/2008
Joy Very helpful article. Thank you for the information. 6/7/2008
Mrs M Slater it is very painful I am 82years of age and I am finding it difficult to cope
I have had the disease for 6 weeks and still have rash am I likely to pass some illness on to our new born great grandson?		 5/16/2008
Dorothy Pulfer Is it possible to get shingles in the mouth?
 4/26/2008
debra I have shingles on my neck and am going to have the roots in my hair colored today. if i cover the back of my nexk, will I be contagious to the hairdresser? 4/5/2008
lena was told have shingles on the optic nerve. is this possible? 3/26/2008
joann james Can shingles form on the inside of your body, therefore no reash appears? 3/17/2008
Lilian Lamont short, sharp and informative. Wil certainly use this site again! 3/11/2008
Peggy Ingling I was in contact with person having shingles.Don't know if had chicken pox.Am i at risk of getting shingles?What prtecauction can i take? 1/19/2008
Bob Renfro Can someone who has had both Chicken Pox and Shingles get shingles again from someone who has just been diagnosed with Chicken Pox? 8/26/2007
Zac One more thing - I read somewhwere when I was having Shingles, that having had shingles raises my risk of having Cancer. And true enough, two years later, after experienceing some pains for some time in my abdomen, I was diagnosed with stage two colon cancer. I'm only 32.
It might be of some interest to some. just thought I'd add it in.		 3/5/2007
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