Can you get shingles from a child with chicken pox? a cousin is supposed to come to a family gathering tomorrow and he has chicken pox

No. : No. Shingles is the reactivation of the varicella virus which lives in your body forever after either having chicken pox or after vaccination for chicken pox. People develop shingles when something weakens their immune system causing the virus to "reactivate". Known causes are: - age (over 50) - surgery - medications (such as chemotherapy or transplant medications) - radiation therapy - aids - stress - injury - chronic diseases someone who has never had chicken pox can catch chicken pox from someone with shingles, but not the other way around.

Chickenpox/ shingles: I agree with Dr. McMullen. You might get Chickenpox from a child with chickenpox. But Shingles does not occur until you have already been infected with the varicella-zoster virus (which causes both Chickenpox and Shingles) & it is re-emerging at a later time.