Have chickenpox so can't go near old people in case you give them shingles

[flack]

Everyone I know (except in the MN world) thinks that old people can catch shingles from little children with chickenpox.

One man swears that his GP told him as much. "Else why do you have to avoid old people when you have chickenpox?" another mother asked me this morning.

I know it's not important, but it's driving me crazy and I probably come across like an aggressive idiot when I try to correct them. Please teach me how to just smile and change the subject next time I hear this, I must give up trying to educate!

[tortoiseshell]

Nope, you can't get shingles from chickenpox! I know how annoying it is though - my friend swore the hospital had told her that old people could.

[tortoiseshell]

You CAN get chickenpox from shingles though...!!!

[Trinityrhino]

but you can get chickenpox from someone with shingles, therefore people with shingles shoud stay away from babies and pregnant women

[Trinityrhino]

\link{http://familydoctor.org/574.xml/no you can't}

[Trinityrhino]

try again

[SoMuchToBits]

You can't get shingles from chickenpox, you just need to have had chickenpox at some time in your life to get shingles later.

[flack]

Not only what all you're saying, but I thought it was actually good for people (especially old people) to get exposed to chickenpox, because it prevents shingles by stimulating people's immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus (or did I just imagine reading all that in the New Scientist??)

But everybody in real life thinks I'm absolutely mad when I tell them all that....!

I should have started this as a health pedants thread, when you know something's right but you feel like a bore trying to persuade everyone else.