SHINGLES ...is it contagious ???

[nutcracker]

On arriving at school this morning a little girl out of the other yr 1 class came running up to me and my friend saying "i've got shingles". She pulled down her collar and sure enough, it looked like she had. My friend asked the little girls childminder if it were true, and she said yes, and that the little girls mother had insisted that she wasn't contagious. The little girl didn't have it before half term, so hasn't had it for more than a week. Is it contagious ?? I was sure it is, but maybe i'm wrong. My friend is very worried as her dd is in the same class.

I had shingles recently Nutty, and no it is not contagious provided that your friend's dd has already had chickenpox.

If not your friend's dd could catch chickenpox from her (in theory) but would have to come into contact with the fluid inside the shingles blisters.

Shingles is essentially something you get if you are run down and you have previously had chickenpox, the chickenpox virus lies dormant and re-activates inside you and causes shingles.

So you can't catch it and you can't get it unless you have already had chickenpox.

HTH

My friends dd hasn't had chicken pox. Thankfully my dd's have (eldest very mild though).
Thanks for that though, ill let her know.

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I agree, have tried lurking around spotty children with dd but to no avail so far