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Original poster

Healthy kids sometimes get shingles?

96 replies

RandomTyping · 02/12/2025 19:13

I'm not asking anyone diagnose anything via the Internet, and I know that just because one person has a particular thing happen doesn't mean it will apply to everyone in the same scenario - but having a mini panic and hoping for a little bit of reassurance.

DD (9) has shingles. Apparently this is pretty uncommon in healthy kids (unless maybe you had chicken pox under the age of 1 - she didn't, she was 5). It's more common if you have some kind of immune issues...which has sent DH, who has form for gravitating to the worst case scenario whenever anyone has a sniffle, off panicking about cancer and leukaemia and survival rates for every kind of terrible illness you can imagine. He's actually medical (although works in an area where he sees the worst case of everything, so I think it skews his view) so it's hard to stay calm when he's imagining all the terrible things it might turn out to be!

Perfectly healthy kids sometimes get shingles, right? It's not so vanishingly rare that it's likely a sign of some sinister underlying condition - right?! Anyone's kid had it without anything else going on?

OP posts:
VividLemonLeader · 02/12/2025 20:59

Its a perfectly normal side effect of having had chicken pox (not the vaccine). Which is why a lot of developed countries routinely vaccinate for chicken pox.
More unusual in kids, but not unheard off.,

PeppermintPatty10 · 02/12/2025 21:01

My cousin got shingles aged 13. He was (and is!) perfectly healthy, happy and of strong constitution - not the sort to get ill! He didn't suffer any of the pain or discomfort that you associate with shingles. He's an adult now and in perfect health. We were surprised when he got it, but threads like this show you that it's not unusual!

MsJJones · 02/12/2025 21:05

My DS had shingles very young (6-ish?) and we didn’t even know he’d had chicken pox so it must have been very mild. The doctor even asked for a second opinion and shingles was confirmed. He was a little bothered by the rash but it wasn’t too painful and he recovered quickly.

Ten years later and he hasn’t had any other health issues so far. Hope all ok with your DC.

Interested in this thread?

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Children's health General health Skin conditions
Rageagainstmywashingmachine · 02/12/2025 21:09

I had shingles at 13yrs old, no underlying conditions, although I was going through a lot of stress.

Original poster
RandomTyping · 02/12/2025 21:12

It's certainly not unheard of then! Thanks everyone. Much reassured that it's not so uncommon that it's a harbinger of doom!

OP posts:
TimSamandLulu · 02/12/2025 21:14

I know you are reassured by now, but one of my son’s friends also had it aged 8 and is now a perfectly healthy looking 11 year old.

WorriedAboutArthur · 02/12/2025 21:20

I had shingles when I was around 22 and I’m now 35. I think I was run down at the time as I had mouth ulcers too.
my understanding is that you can’t catch shingles, it lays dormant in your body once you’ve had chicken pox and is reactivated when you’re unwell/ run down. Nothing to suggest it’s that severity of illness, more just immune system flagging due to viral infections etc.
I hope she’s feeling okay with it and recovers quickly x

napody · 02/12/2025 21:22

Had shingles early teens. No health problems at all, now mid forties.

BeMellowAquaSquid · 02/12/2025 21:23

My eldest has had shingles quite badly she was a pretty average healthy child, middle daughter has also had it again both healthy and both cases were at least 10 years apart. The only correlation I can make is that they both had chicken pox but really mildly whereas my youngest was absolutely smothered top to toe in pox and hasn’t had shingles (yet)

Denim4ever · 02/12/2025 21:40

Waitwater · 02/12/2025 19:32

Heavens

not sure I’d have been happy knowing my child was seated next to a child with active shingles

Show quote history

It's usually something to be off school with. Risks to adults/teachers who might not have had chicken pox are quite serious so -as with chicken pox - child should be off school

logsahc · 02/12/2025 21:44

Denim4ever · 02/12/2025 21:40

It's usually something to be off school with. Risks to adults/teachers who might not have had chicken pox are quite serious so -as with chicken pox - child should be off school

Show quote history

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/shingles/

NHS website says you only need to stay off school or work if the rash is still oozing and can’t be covered.

Shingles

Find out about shingles, including symptoms and what to do if you think you have it.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/shingles/

TheignT · 02/12/2025 21:45

I had shingles at 13. Think it was to do with grief as my father died a few months earlier. I had it quite badly, was in lots of pain but no long term issues and here I am at 72.

Denim4ever · 02/12/2025 21:48

logsahc · 02/12/2025 21:44

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/shingles/

NHS website says you only need to stay off school or work if the rash is still oozing and can’t be covered.

Show quote history

But if a teacher hasn't had chicken pox, the risk is high. I know as DH has had shingles twice

Pallisers · 02/12/2025 21:50

My ds had chicken pox at 6 months (pre vaccine) and then got shingles at 11. It was just after he had moved to a new school - he had been very stressed in the run up. It didn't trouble him much at the time and he is perfectly healthy since.

My dh got shingles after he made a big decision about a major change in his career and was stressed. For both of them the shingles was after the stress ended and everything was fine.

logsahc · 02/12/2025 21:51

Denim4ever · 02/12/2025 21:48

But if a teacher hasn't had chicken pox, the risk is high. I know as DH has had shingles twice

Show quote history

I didn’t write it, you’ll have to take it up with the NHS. In my son’s case it was on his torso under his clothes, really not sure how a teacher would catch that? The rash didn’t bother him so it’s not like he was taking his clothes off and scratching it.

Kirbert2 · 02/12/2025 21:55

Denim4ever · 02/12/2025 21:48

But if a teacher hasn't had chicken pox, the risk is high. I know as DH has had shingles twice

Show quote history

It isn't high if it is covered and the teacher doesn't touch it.

My son had it on his back, he wasn't ill at all and I was also told it was absolutely fine for him to be in school.

BeethovenNinth · 02/12/2025 21:58

My DD and two friends the same age all had it age 7. I think it was after Covid. All still fine three years later!

sammyspoon · 02/12/2025 22:03

Yes my otherwise healthy daughter got shingles at around 10. She’d had chickenpox when she was about 2. Took antivirals and it cleared up quickly.

MissAmbrosia · 02/12/2025 22:33

Dd (21) was interrailing in the summer and thought she'd caught something from being in one of the hostels. In Italy I told her to go to pharmacy and ask advice about her torso rash. They confirmed shingles and luckily our belgian doctor sent a prescription to her phone for anti-virals. Where I thanked the Lord for joined up EU healthcare whilst reassuring crying dd over the phone that she was not going to die. She was otherwise fine, but had been doing her finals and had been very stressed.

ShiftySquirrel · 02/12/2025 22:43

DD2 had shingles aged 7. She's now a pretty healthy, gym going 15yo.

She had a horrid rash on her tummy and side that was sore, but a locum GP didn't think children could get shingles so we missed out on antivirals window- TBF they did call me back the next day.
I kept the rash covered. It was school holidays so I think we just stayed in until she felt better.

CarriMarie · 02/12/2025 22:45

My eldest son had Shingles aged 9, having had chicken pox at about 5, recovered quickly and has hardly had a day’s illness since.

dementedpixie · 02/12/2025 22:54

Denim4ever · 02/12/2025 21:48

But if a teacher hasn't had chicken pox, the risk is high. I know as DH has had shingles twice

Show quote history

The risk of getting chickenpox isn't high if the shingles rash is covered as its not airborne like actual chickenpox would be. You need contact with the shingles rash to pass on chickenpox

Justwingingit2005 · 02/12/2025 22:55

RandomTyping · 02/12/2025 19:13

I'm not asking anyone diagnose anything via the Internet, and I know that just because one person has a particular thing happen doesn't mean it will apply to everyone in the same scenario - but having a mini panic and hoping for a little bit of reassurance.

DD (9) has shingles. Apparently this is pretty uncommon in healthy kids (unless maybe you had chicken pox under the age of 1 - she didn't, she was 5). It's more common if you have some kind of immune issues...which has sent DH, who has form for gravitating to the worst case scenario whenever anyone has a sniffle, off panicking about cancer and leukaemia and survival rates for every kind of terrible illness you can imagine. He's actually medical (although works in an area where he sees the worst case of everything, so I think it skews his view) so it's hard to stay calm when he's imagining all the terrible things it might turn out to be!

Perfectly healthy kids sometimes get shingles, right? It's not so vanishingly rare that it's likely a sign of some sinister underlying condition - right?! Anyone's kid had it without anything else going on?

My son had it ans didn't know
I Saw him wall out thr bathroom with a towel round him saw a rash. Thought wtf is that. Drs appt to be told its shingles. Had no signs and felt right as rain.

MigGirl · 02/12/2025 23:06

DD had shingles at 8, I didn't realise what it was until I took her to the doctors as she was complaining that the rash hurt. I was surprised it was shingles, they prescribe antivirals and she was fine to go to school with the rash covered. As long as the rash is covered you can't catch chicken pox from someone with shingles. She didn't pick at it as it hurt to much.

spiderlight · 02/12/2025 23:18

My son had it when he was 9 or 10, after having very very mild chicken pox at 6. Perfectly healthy kid, suddenly got shingles - again very mildly but confirmed by the GP. It cleared up in about a week and never came back, and he's now a strapping great 18-year-old with no immune issues or anything.