Is Shingles Contagious?

As early as 1909 a German scientist suspected that the viruses causing chickenpox and shingles were one and the same. In the 1920's and 1930's the case was strengthened. In an experiment, children were inoculated with fluid from the lesions of patients with shingles. Within 2 weeks about half the children came down with chickenpox. Finally in 1958 detailed analyses of the viruses taken from patients with either chickenpox or shingles confirmed that the viruses were identical.

This study also proved that a person with shingles can pass the virus to individuals who have never had chickenpox, but these individuals will develop chickenpox not shingles. A person with chickenpox cannot communicate shingles to someone else. In order for people to develop shingles they must already harbor the virus in their nervous system, and for those who do harbor the virus, having contact with someone with chickenpox will not trigger shingles. Additionally, a person with shingles cannot communicate shingles to another individual.

Back to Your Guide to Shingles Back to Your Guide to Shingles
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD, June 2005.

SOURCE: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/shingles.htm