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Suggest Treatment For Recurrent Shingles
Question: My wife has shingles on a small part of her upper back - right shoulder area. How is shingles transmitted? Can you get shingles by drinking out of the same can of Coke as her - cause I just did that, thinking it was my can of Coke? We are 71 (her) and 72 (me) and are 54 years married. We are supposed to go to our great-grandson's 3rd birthday party later today and we wonder if she would spread it to someone else. We don't know how it is transmitted. We both had a shingles shot this year - but she got it anyway. We simply don't know how shingles is transmitted from one person to another.
Brief Answer:
Spreads by direct contact with the fluid from the rash blisters.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for your query.
Shingles is caused by the varicella virus which also causes chicken pox in people who are not immune to it. Shingles occurs in people who have some immunity against the virus. The spread is through contact with the fluid from the rash blisters.
You cannot get it from eating or drinking out of the same vessels or bottles unless the same is contaminated by the fluid from the lesions. So it is important that she does not touch the blisters which should be kept covered when she goes out.
Pregnant women, children and immunocompromised people are more at risk of getting infected.
Take care
Spreads by direct contact with the fluid from the rash blisters.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for your query.
Shingles is caused by the varicella virus which also causes chicken pox in people who are not immune to it. Shingles occurs in people who have some immunity against the virus. The spread is through contact with the fluid from the rash blisters.
You cannot get it from eating or drinking out of the same vessels or bottles unless the same is contaminated by the fluid from the lesions. So it is important that she does not touch the blisters which should be kept covered when she goes out.
Pregnant women, children and immunocompromised people are more at risk of getting infected.
Take care
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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