Anyone know how contagious shingles is?

[CoffeeCrazedMama]

DD2's best friend (age 12) has been diagnosed with shingles. I am a bit worried as dd2 spent the day with her Monday. Can you catch shingles from shingles (she's had chicken pox)? I am concerned as we are going away for half term at the end of the month and are meant to be visiting frail, very old great-uncle and don't want us all to be incubating something like shingles. I know there are lots of threads on here about shingles and chicken pox but I started trawling through and none seemed to answer this exact concern. To be honest, dd2 is a lot healthier and more robust than bf, so hoping that will help.

You can't catch shingles from chicken pox or from shingles but you can catch chicken pox from a person with shingles.

Shingles cannot be caught as such ... it's a dormant virus in your body from having chickenpox.

my childs nursery accepts children with shingles if the sores are covered over. if you can't cover the sore then they can't go. i assume this means that you can only catch it if you touch an open sore.

The herpes virus sheds direct from the sores in the case of shingles iirc so if they are covered by clothing you won't be exposed.

Thanks every body - and nice to 'meet' you all. You have helped set my mind at rest. Mumsnet certainly makes the world a better place! (dds were very impressed at the speedy responses!)

Again - you can't catch shingles from shingles or shingles from chicken pox - you CAN give a child CP if you have shingles but as your dd has already had it - no panic.