Mexico
A 25-year-old male asked:
My roomie has shingles under his armpit, how can i prevent to get herpes zoster from him? (i had varicella when i was a kid)
2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Robert Kwokanswered
Pediatrics 35 years experience
You're in luck...: Shingles comes from within. A person who had varicella in childhood should have immunity to varicella, and should have varicella virus remaining inside some of his or her cells' DNA. Such a person should not be able to "catch" the virus from anyone else. However, the virus that is living in such person's DNA can form new copies of the virus, which travel to the skin surface to cause "shingles".
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. James Fergusonanswered
Pediatrics 48 years experience
You can't get it: A person might get chickenpox from exposure to debris from weeping sores of shingles.( If they never had chickenpox) You cannot catch shingles (Zoster) from a person with shingles.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
636 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Related questions
A 35-year-old member asked:
Are the varicella zoster virus and shingles the same thing?
Dr. James Fergusonanswered
Pediatrics 48 years experience
Word games: One is the name of a virus, the other is one condition that virus can cause.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
How could you explain what a varicella zoster (shingles) is to a parent or a patient?
Dr. Charles Lockhartanswered
Dentistry 11 years experience
Virus: Shingles is a herpes zoster virus that can occur in anyone who has had chicken pox (herpes simplex) There are currently injections which aid in the pr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
View all answers
A 30-year-old member asked:
How would you explain what a varicella zoster (shingles) is in layman's terms?
Dr. Thad Woodardanswered
Specializes in Pediatrics
Recurrent chickenpo: When first infected with chickenpox (varicella) the virus remains alive in your nervous system for the rest of your life and for unclear reasons can r... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Antibodies for varicella zoster IgG positive, and varicella IgM negative, means immunity for shingles or just for chicken pox?
Dr. Alan Levineanswered
Pediatrics 36 years experience
Both: Varicella and zoster are the same virus. Chickenpox occurs with the first exposure to the virus and zoster is the re-activation of the virus that has ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Why is the varicella-zoster virus referred to as a herpes virus?
Dr. Christopher Crosbyanswered
Dermatology 18 years experience
See Below: It can be a bit confusing. The technical name for 'shingles' is herpes zoster. Herpes zoster is caused by a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
View all answers
Last updated Jul 3, 2017
People also asked
Connect with a U.S. board-certified doctor by text or video anytime, anywhere.
$44 video appointments with $19/month membership*
*Billed $57 every 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Disclaimer:
Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.