Shingles and babies exposure

Can shingles affect my unborn baby? Are shingles contagious in babies? Is exposure to direct sunlight through a window harmful to a newborn baby?

The virus that causes shingles , varicella zoster virus (VZV) can spread from a person with active shingles and cause chickenpox in someone who had never had chickenpox or received chickenpox vaccine. VZV spreads through direct contact with fluid from the rash blisters. Most people who develop shingles have only one episode during their lifetime.

Covering the shingles rash doesn’t eliminate the risk of exposure though. Another problem is that it isn’t always easy to recognize that someone has shingles, especially when younger children or teens have it. Better to get it over when they are too young to scratch!

I was afraid at first the baby would get shingles from shingles but now I know different. Shingles can look a lot uglier than chicen pox! Glad to know contact with blisters is main way for exposure with shingles. But, instead of developing shingles , the people who have not had chickenpox will develop chickenpox.

Once these people have had chickenpox, they too have the potential to contract shingles later on in their lifetime.

However, a newborn or a person with a weakened immune system, has the highest risk of catching the varicella-zoster virus from a person with shingles rather than from one with chicken pox. The virus spreads when you are in contact with the blisters associated with this viral infection. You can, however, develop shingles during your pregnancy if you.

The varicella zoster virus causes shingles and chickenpox. Anyone who has had chickenpox can later develop shingles — even children. You can’t spread the condition to another person. When a baby suffers from chickenpox, the body’s immune system eliminates the virus and retains an antibody against future attacks.

It’s caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). What is shingles in children? This is the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person has chickenpox, the virus stays in the body’s nerve cells but is inactive.

In this Article In this Article. You can only get the zoster virus through contact with the rash. So, chances are your MIL never scratched it and then touched your babies. It is also in an area that would be covered except while changing. However, from what my doctor said the Chance of shingles spreading to others is not likely.

The Content on this Site is presented in a summary fashion, and is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes only. When I had shingles my children ended up getting the chicken pox, they had already been immunized for the chicken pox and still got it.

Try to limit your skin exposure with them, just to be safe. If a vaccinated person gets the disease, they can still spread it to others. For most people, getting chickenpox once provides immunity for life. Remember, if you have had chickenpox, it is possible to develop shingles during pregnancy.

If you do develop shingles , make sure you contact your health care provider right away. Use of prophylactic VZIG following exposure beyond the neonatal period should be reserved for those who are recognized as being at increased risk of a severe illness, ie, infants with a severe underlying skin condition, infants with known or suspected immunodeficiency and infants born before weeks’ gestation, unless they have been discharged from hospital and have reached term weight. A shingles vaccine is available for adults years of age and older in the United States.

The vaccine prevents much of the pain and suffering caused by shingles when the virus that causes chickenpox reawakens in those with aging or compromised immune systems.