chicken pox and shingles....

dorks

My little boy has the dreaded pox!

My mum suffers from shingles. If I give her the choice, she will say that she still wants to see him and not to worry about the shingles, but is she fibbing? Is she likely to get shingles if exposed to him?

elona

I know people who got shingles and it can be very painful - I would not risk it for the sake of a week or so.

Psykicpup

Shingles is a painful rash caused by the Varicella zoster virus (Herpes varicellae), which is the virus that causes chickenpox . Shingles occurs in people who have had chickenpox and is a reactivation of the dormant virus. Shingles often occurs many years after the initial chickenpox infection. Shingles is contagious and may itself cause chickenpox. However, contact with a person with shingles or chickenpox cannot cause shingles.

extract from the netdoctor site link - http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/herpeszoster.htm

HTH - I get optical shingles so I understand what your mum goes through....

edited to add - having read that a bit better this time ...its possible if shes had a flare up recently that your boy may have caught the chicken pox from her lol - I'm sure she would have mentioned if she had tho

mspig

Possibly best to try and get her to stay away for a few more days until the spots start crusting over. You could always ask your doctor for Acyclovir which is an anti-viral medicine which quickens up the healing process of chicken pox.

Not sure if its relevent to your son but piriton syrup can heal the itching.