What to do if you touched someone with shingles?
But you should be sure to follow these tips:
- Keep the shingles rash clean and covered. This can help prevent other people from coming into contact with your blisters.
- Wash your hands often. Also, try not to touch the blisters.
- Avoid being around pregnant women.
- Avoid other at-risk people.
How can a doctor tell if you have shingles?
Doctors diagnose most cases of shingles based on physical signs and symptoms. The tipoff is the distinctive, band-like rash that most people develop. It is usually accompanied by itching, tingling, or pain in an area of the body served by nerves prone to infection during a prior bout with chickenpox.
What kind of rash do you get from shingles?
Shingles, also called zoster or herpes zoster, is a viral infection that affects the nerves. It typically produces a painful rash with blisters that can be dangerous in some people. The varicella zoster virus that causes chickenpox is the same one that causes shingles.
Is the shingles rash contagious to other people?
The shingles rash is contagious (for someone else to catch chickenpox) until all the blisters (vesicles) have scabbed and are dry. If the blisters are covered with a dressing, it is unlikely that the virus will pass on to others.
Can you have shingles if you have not had chickenpox?
This is because shingles is caused by the chickenpox virus. Try to avoid: pregnant women who have not had chickenpox before. people with a weakened immune system – like someone having chemotherapy. babies less than 1 month old – unless it’s your own baby, as they should be protected from the virus by your immune system.
How do you find out if you have shingles?
Shingles is usually diagnosed based on the history of pain on one side of your body, along with the telltale rash and blisters. Your doctor may also take a tissue scraping or culture of the blisters for examination in the laboratory. Treatment.
Can a shingles rash be a sign of heart problems?
Depending on the location of the pain, it can sometimes be mistaken for a symptom of problems affecting the heart, lungs or kidneys. Some people experience shingles pain without ever developing the rash. Most commonly, the shingles rash develops as a stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or right side of your torso.
What happens if you don’t see a doctor for shingles?
See your doctor as soon as possible if you get shingles on or around your ears. If you don’t get treated, it can lead to Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can cause: Dizziness and other balance problems. Earaches. Hearing loss. Loss of ability to move parts of your face.
How are shingles treated at the Mayo Clinic?
Shingles 1 Diagnosis. Shingles is usually diagnosed based on the history of pain on one side of your body,… 2 Treatment. There’s no cure for shingles, but prompt treatment with prescription antiviral drugs can… 3 Lifestyle and home remedies. Taking a cool bath or using cool,… 4 Preparing for your appointment.