Important Facts About Shingles - Are Shingles Contagious?

First off, what is shingles? It is generally called Herpes Zoster, a virus that develops in people who had chickenpox in the past. It can come about when you have been the subject of prolonged emotional distress, an immune reaction disorder like HIV / aids, or taking chemical treatment treatments. Anti-rejection drugs may also cause a shingles outbreak, because these medicines must suppress the immunity mechanism to avoid rejecting a transplanted organ. Singles may start out as a low grade fever or flu-like symptoms. The fever can then be followed by pain or itchy areas on the skin, then a red rash appears inside five days. The rash turns into distressing blisters that start to leak clear fluid that crusts over then heals.

The issue is: Is shingles contagious? Shingles is not contagious but the virus that's causing it, is. The zoster pathogen spreads by coming in communication with someone with an active zoster infection. You won't get shingles but you will get chickenpox. This explains why a niece of mine got chicken pox instead of shingles. She went near a boy who was suffering a bad case of herpes zoster. The following days, she had chicken pox. Varicella and herpes zoster are a result of this same pathogen, varicella zoster. Anyone who has a prior history of chicken pox before can get shingles, but it is typically seen in people who are sixty years of age or older. A main reason that the virus kicks back up again is due to emotional stress, which when prolonged will have an effect on the immune system, so reactivating a virus that has been dormant in the body for a long time resulting with a shingles infection. So if in case you've had chicken pox back when you were still young, then the chances of getting shingles when you're older is definite.

Who are most at risk? A lady who is pregnant must avoid at all costs getting shingles. If she has no history of chicken pox, then the pathogen being shed can be passed unto her and her unborn baby. Should the expecting mummy be exposed to a shingle pathogen, then she could develop chicken pox herself and her baby might be born already having chickenpox. This is such a fearsome thought among mothers. To safeguard yourself from shingles, one must keep away from people who have shingles.

Are Shingles Contagious? Learn more about the symptoms of shingles and discover the best treatment for shingles at: Are Shingles Contagious