Herpes zoster can not be transmitted from one person to another, however, the virus that causes the disease, and which is also responsible for the chicken pox, can, through direct contact with the lesions that appear on the skin or with its secretions.
However, the virus is only transmitted to anyone who has never got chickenpox before and also did not get the vaccine against the disease. That is because, whoever has been infected by the virus at some point in life, can not be infected again, as the body produces antibodies against a new infection.
How to get the herpes zoster virus
The risk of passing the herpes zoster virus is greater when there are still blisters on the skin because the virus is found in the secretions released by the sores. Thus, it is possible to catch the virus when:
- It touches the wounds or secretions released;
- Wears clothes that have been worn by someone infected;
- Uses a bath towel or other objects that have come in direct contact with the skin of an infected person.
That way, anyone who has herpes zoster should take some precautions to avoid passing the virus, especially if there is someone close to who has never had chicken pox. Some of these precautions include washing your hands regularly, avoid scratching the blisters, covering the skin lesions, and never sharing objects that have been in direct contact with the skin.
What happens when the virus is transmitted
When the virus passes to another person, it does not cause herpes zoster, but chicken pox. Herpes zoster only appears in people who have had chicken pox earlier in life, and when the immune system is weakened and that is why you can not get someone else's shingles.
This is because, after having chickenpox, the virus falls asleep inside the body and can wake up again when the immune system is weakened by a disease, such as a severe flu, a generalized infection or an autoimmune disease such as AIDS, for example . When she wakes up again, the virus does not give rise to chickenpox, but rather to herpes zoster, which is a more serious infection and causes symptoms such as burning sensation in the skin, blisters on the skin and persistent fever.
Learn more about shingles and what symptoms to watch out for.
Who is most at risk of catching the virus
The risk of catching the virus that causes herpes zoster is greater in person than ever before had contact with chicken pox. Thus, at-risk groups include:
- Babies and children who have never had chicken pox;
- Adults who have never had chicken pox;
- People who have never had chickenpox or made the vaccine against the disease.
However, even if the virus is transmitted, the person will not develop shingles, but rather chicken pox. Years later, if your immune system is compromised, it may lead to herpes zoster.
See the first signs that may indicate that you caught chicken pox.
