Is shingles transmitted from someone else?

That is not the case.

Shingles is caused by a microorganism called "varicella-zoster virus". This is a viral disease and a contagious disease, but the virus that causes shingles is not transmitted from other people.

Specifically, the virus causes chickenpox when people are first infected, and after recovery, the virus remains dormant in the body's ganglia (a special type of nerve tissue). When the immune system is suppressed or the immune status is reduced (for example, when overworked, elderly, suffering from cancer, or taking immune-suppressing drugs), the virus may become active again and cause shingles.

Therefore, herpes zoster is mainly caused by the reactivation of latent viruses in the body, rather than being infected through contact with others. In order to prevent herpes zoster, you should pay attention to reducing or avoiding the risk factors mentioned above and maintain good living habits and immune status. In addition, for older people or people with weak immune systems, timely vaccination with herpes zoster vaccine is also an effective preventive measure.

In addition, it should be noted that the virus in the rash of patients with shingles can be transmitted to those who have never had chickenpox or have not been vaccinated against chickenpox, causing them to get chickenpox. Therefore, we would recommend that patients with shingles cover the rash during the period from the appearance of the rash to the scab to prevent others from being exposed to the virus.

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, MD, attending physician of dermatology

Review | Feng Jun, deputy chief physician of the Dermatology Department of Sinopharm Tongmei General Hospital