would you quarantine your kids if they'd been exposed to chicken pox

[bebo100]

Hi

I've recently had a very mild case of shingles. I'm better now, and kept what rash I did have covered, so I don't think my kids have been exposed to chicken pox, but there is always a chance.

They're showing no signs of illness, but I know chicken pox can incubate for 21 days.

We're due at a gathering soon where they'll likely be pregnant and a month old baby.

Should we all stay clear on the off chance that my sons have caught chicken pox? or am I being overly cautious?

What would you do?

Hoe many days past contact will they be? Incubation is 21 days but with spots coming out 7-21 days and being infectious a day before. So on day 4 they should be infectious.
The spots very commonly come out much nearer 14 days.
I'm torn, on one hand your children can be exposed at any time without you knowing it, on the other, knowing there will be vulnerable people there.
The pregnant woman may have had chicken pox. I would look at the dates and possibly ask the pregnant woman and the parent of the baby what they think.

*not be infectious on day four! not!

Don't you have to touch the spots with shingles to catch it?

I didn't think you could get chicken pox from shingles? I think I'm right in saying it's the virus that has laid dormant in you from C.Pox.

No. If you did that you'd never leave the house!

From the NHS website 'The blisters that develop as a result of shingles contain virus particles. If you have not had chickenpox before, you can catch it from direct contact with the fluid from the blisters of someone who has shingles, or from something that has the fluid on it, such as bed sheets or a towel. If you have shingles, you are contagious until the last blister has scabbed over. This will usually occur after about 10 to 14 days.' Full article Here

If you were careful about hygiene and towels, bedding etc it seems unlikely your children will be incubating chicken pox.

It does look like actual contact with the blisters, so I'd be a bit more relaxed about it.
Hooley , Google says you can catch chickenpox from shingles.

If you're going to quarantine, then you have to do it properly, which means everyone kept in for the full 21 days from when your rash vanished. So that means, if you have half term coming up, cancelling all outings. Because there may be vulnerable people anywhere.

There is however no official requirement to quarantine for exposure to chicken pox, let alone shingles.

Shingles is nowhere near as infectious as chickenpox, and to catch chickenpox from it you need direct contact with the rash or anything exuded.

you can catch chicken pox from someone with shingles - but only from the rash - so by touching the rash (which hasn't happened), or possibly from clothing etc which has touched the rash.

I've been careful to keep rash covered at all times, do laundry often, wash hands etc. but it's still possible to pick up chicken pox virus from clothing / surfaces etc.

So I'm hopeful my kids haven't caught it, but can't guarantee they haven't.

RJ - yes I can find out about the pregnant lady. Month old baby I'm not sure what parents can say - I'm sure they'd rather I stayed away, so if they said 'yes it's fine' would just be saying it out of politeness.

No, I wouldn't quarantine just in case they might get chicken pox.

There is always the chance that they could be brewing something. When my dd got chickenpox I had no idea that they had come into contact with someone contagious. I think warn the mother of the baby that there is a chance that they may have contracted it and let it be her choice as to whether she exposes her child to that very small risk.