WTF! Shingles around my baby!

Dani0701

We really haven't taken DS out around crowds or public places.  He gets his shots on Thursday.  Tonight was my best friend's 30th surprise party where it was just her family at her house.  The minute we walk through the door, her aunt whom I'm really not familiar with literally prys the baby out of my arms!  I'm speechless!  Then a little while later, my friend's mom says that their grandma has shingles!  Holy moly!  I start freaking the heck out.  I grab the baby and go outside as fast as I can.  My other friend is looking online to see if that's contagious or airborne, what the heck do we do?  DH isn't at the party at that time, he dropped me off to get something and was on his way back.  We read online a few different things. Some said you had to be in direct physical contact, some said it was airborne, others said it isn't.  We didn't touch grandma or go too close to her.  I was so worried about DS that I completely forgot that DH has never had chicken pox/shingles and he could get it too.  His dad just had shingles about 2 years ago.  WDYT?  We couldn't get in touch with the Dr's office.

hepcats

Shingles aren't contagious. I had them once and had plenty of contact with people and none of them got that or chicken pox. I know it's disturbing but try not to freak out too much. LO will be okay.

amatistajoy

hepcats:

Shingles aren't contagious. I had them once and had plenty of contact with people and none of them got that or chicken pox. I know it's disturbing but try not to freak out too much. LO will be okay.

 This.

You get shingles from having chicken pox. You don't contract shingles from someone... this is what I have understood. 

DRN8302

My MIL had it and we didn't know until she was diagnosed a day later. This was while I was pg and DD1 was hugging on grandma, etc. I called both doctors (ob and pedi) and they said you have to literally touch the oozing rash to catch anything. DD1 had already received her first round of varicella shots, but I was no longer immune to chicken pox and we were still all fine. Just put a call in when the office is open. You guys should be okay... but with a little baby that's just scary!

alliejoe

Not entirely related, but I would suggest to your DH that he get the Chicken Pox vaccine now or at least get a blood titer to see if he has an immunity already.

tinaraye

Well, I claim no authority on the subject, but my dad was diagnosed with shingles two days ago. I called the pediatrician to ask if our 3 1/2 week old baby could be around her grandfather who has shingles, and he said absolutely not--not until the blisters have crusted over (ew!) and healed, which occurs in 10-14 days of onset. He said that the virus was airborne and she could get chicken pox.

MustanGTbaby13

Varicella is airborne, herpes zoster is not. If your LO had direct contact with vesicle fluid( either from the source of through touching something the fluid touched), of the herpes zoster, then yes, there is a possibility of transmission.

 

marooner

alliejoe:

Not entirely related, but I would suggest to your DH that he get the Chicken Pox vaccine now or at least get a blood titer to see if he has an immunity already.

marooner

alliejoe:

Not entirely related, but I would suggest to your DH that he get the Chicken Pox vaccine now or at least get a blood titer to see if he has an immunity already.

This! DH has never had in and got his titer checked by his endocrinologist where he found out he wasn't immune. We spoke w/our pedi and ended up getting his vaccine around the time DD got her first vaccine for varicella. 

Sorry for the triple post, I don't know what happened.

gremxul

As some PPs said, shingles CAN be contagious.  And those 2 month vaccines won't include one for chicken pox - that's not until 1 year.