# So can I catch chickenpox from someone with shingles or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 16, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511 "2002-10-16T14:09:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/1 "2002-10-16T14:09:41Z")
Relative **A** , who belongs to a generation that was supposed to be immunized the ‘natural’ way and isn’t vaccinated against chickenpox, yet who slipped through without ever knowing to catch it, lives together with relative **B** , who’s got shingles. When you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays latent in your spinal nerves, and shingles is caused when it manages to break out a second time. [WebMD](http://my.webmd.com/encyclopedia/article/4075.198) tells us _“Rarely, a person can get chickenpox from the fluid of shingles blisters.”_ Chickenpox in adults can be bad enough for relative **A** to now be a bit worried about catching it from relative **B**. No hugging, clothes and towels washed separately, don’t lick the toilet seat, or is all this already overcautious? Relative **C** talks about it on the phone to relative **D** , whose friend works in a hospital who mentioned it to a doctor. (_Amazing_ how quickly such news spread through the family and beyond…) This doctor supposedly said the virus ‘changes’ somehow and there is no risk of infection. Neither could relative **B** be bothered to ask about it at the next visit to the family doctor, nor under any circumstances is relative **A** going to work his way up through the chain of relatives for clarification, so don’t ask. Now, can you catch chickenpox from someone with shingles and it just was a misunderstanding that you can’t, or have there been recent research results that haven’t made it to the books and the web yet? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/2 "2002-10-16T14:26:10Z")
If you have never had Chicken pox, and you are exposed to someone with shingles, you CAN get chicken pox. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Yeah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/dbc845/32.png) [@Yeah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeah)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/3 "2002-10-16T15:21:33Z")
“If you have never had Chicken pox, and you are exposed to someone with shingles, you CAN get chicken pox.” If you have never had Chicken pox AND HAVE NEVER BEEN VACCINATED AGAINST CHICKEN POX, and you are exposed to someone with shingles, you CAN get chicken pox. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/4 "2002-10-16T15:37:33Z")
I know from experience the reverse to be true. Good question. Glad **Qadgop** was here to answer it. ---
**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/5 "2002-10-16T18:58:32Z")
Then I’m definitely not safe, thank you. Now explain this to my relatives 😃 How much not safe? I didn’t find anything specific about how great my personal infection risk would be. It can’t be too big for the average population, or I would be wondering why the family doc didn’t ask **B** about non-immune or weakened relatives or warned not to attend any kindergarten hugging parties ; the same when relative **E** came to visit with shingles. Am I right in believing that it needs more or less direct contact to the shingle blisters or their fluid, so abovementioned precautions should be a sufficient compromise between infection risk and convenience for a healthy adult? And since it would be a waste of server search time not to link to them: [Shingles](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=61424) [regarding the chicken pox vaccine](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=77208) [Why do they call it chicken pox?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpox.html) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/6 "2002-10-16T19:04:42Z")
I feel sorry for your poor relative. I’ve _had_ shingles. It hurts! Mine was stress-activated, came after 9/11. Yes, shingles can kick in from stress, once you’ve had SP. Important note-- **do not use heating pads to try to relieve the pain!** That makes it _worse_. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/7 "2002-10-16T19:41:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Important note-- do not use heating pads to try to relieve the pain! That makes it worse. Also – from my own experience – **do not scratch!** Much pain results. RR ---
**Author:** ![Savaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@Savaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savaka)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/8 "2002-10-16T19:49:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by femtosecond \* > **No hugging, clothes and towels washed separately, don’t lick the toilet seat, or is all this already overcautious?** The good doctor can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m going to say that it’s probably not overcautious to suggest that _all_ your relatives stop licking toilet seats. Don’t know if that’ll help the chicken pox situation though. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/9 "2002-10-16T19:58:09Z")
Many people actually had subclinical cases of Chicken Pox at some point, and are immune if they don’t know it. In cases where someone has been exposed as an adult, I advise presenting to the doc **as soon as lesions appear** so they can be started on anti-viral agents and blunt and shorten the course and severity of the illness. Full-blown chicken pox in an adult is _not_ a trivial illness, and can turn into viral pneumonia, encephalitis, and death. Or call your doc and ask what to do now. ---
**Author:** ![Yeah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/dbc845/32.png) [@Yeah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeah)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/10 "2002-10-16T20:16:43Z")
"Full-blown chicken pox in an adult is not a trivial illness, and can turn into viral pneumonia, encephalitis, and death. " It killed Hawaii Congresswoman Patsy Mink last month. ---
**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/11 "2002-10-17T09:47:41Z")
My main concern was the validity of that false third-degree-hearsay advice, especially since there still doesn’t seem to be agreed on everywhere how seriously we should take this virus. I’m in no risk group, and short of moving out and quarantining one from another there’s nothing left to do that would justify the effort or expense. But _if_ I get any symptoms, believe me I know not to hesitate. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Savaka_ > **but I’m going to say that it’s probably not overcautious to suggest that all your relatives stop licking toilet seats.** OK, I’ll trust you on this. If that really helped for your family, you know best. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/12 "2002-10-17T12:44:16Z")
I had chicken pox as a kid. As an adult, I got shingles. (And I heartily agree with the fellow sufferers above. It hurts. Don’t scratch - but you must - ouch. And apparently you have it forever. It’s waiting to come back when you’re old. frail and run-down.) But, if I understand correctly, you do not present any kind of health hazard to innocent passers-by on a daily basis. I hope so, anyway. You only present a source of infection when you have an outbreak and if they have never had chicken pox. (Why not call it Chicken Syphillis and be done with it?) ---
**Author:** ![I\_am\_Sparticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@I\_am\_Sparticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_am_Sparticus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-can-i-catch-chickenpox-from-someone-with-shingles-or-not/132511/13 "2002-10-17T17:40:32Z")
I had the shingles about 10 years ago, within a few months of my elderly aunt having had them. I was under a great deal of stress at the time, so I don’t think that it was transmitted, but obviously, I don’t know. Anyhoo, Auntie didn’t get anti-viral medication and I did. Mine were over in about 10 days, with enormous improvement within 48 hours. I was told by the doctor at that time that stress caused my shingles, and that I was to stay away from folks who hadn’t had chicken pox.