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Is shingles contagious? This is the first question that comes to mind when you come across a person with shingles. In certain cases it is, and in some it is not.
Shingles is caused when the virus which causes chicken-pox gets reactivated. A person who has had chicken pox is sure to get shingles in some point of time. Varicella- zoster is the virus responsible for shingles and chickenpox.
If a person is infected with shingles the virus
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can be passed to someone who has never infected
with chicken pox, but in turn the person will be
infected with chicken pox and not shingles. At the same time if a person is in direct contact with the open rashes, then he or she will contract shingles. Shingles cannot be passed through air.
When a person gets infected with chicken pox the virus is passed to another person as it is present in the upper respiratory tract, where as the shingles cannot be spread as shingles to another person. If a person is contracting shingles he must have been infected by chicken pox in the earlier stage. The virus will remain dormant and later gets re-activated. So
shingles are contagious to persons who have not had chickenpox earlier. If the rashes are at the starting stage it is not contagious. Only when the rashes breaks and is exposed to another person, they contract shingles.
Shingles contagious only at certain circumstances as stated above.
To avoid future outbreaks one can take shingles vaccine. As there is no proper treatment available it is better to stay away from the person who has shingles. People with weak immune system are prone to catch shingles.
Now there are lot of medications available to strengthen the immune system so that one can lower down the risk of contracting shingles.
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