• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Chicken pox... zoonotic?

Status
Not open for further replies.
PopcornPigs

PopcornPigs

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
3,280
Reaction score
479
Points
645
Location
Surrey UK
Hello this may be such a stupid question but just wondering if chicken pox is zoonotic? E.g. could I pass it onto my piggies? I may have it and I'm panicking!
 
That probably would have been the most sensible thing to do! I was in a bit of a panic... it's not. YAY. But now I still have chicken pox :( I thought you couldn't catch it twice?
 
yes you can apparently, especially if you had it mildly the first time round. OR it could be shingles.
 
Hm well my boyfriend has got shingles so I'm thinking I've caught chicken pox from that as you can't catch shingles. I haven't touched it though :{
 
as far as my limited knowledge goes, its a human disease so cannot be passed from species to species. I have had it twice, mildly originally then a month later again but full on - as a child.

You can get shingles as an adult if you have not had chicken pox I think, but you cant get shingles from shingles or something like that. Its not straight forward at all - thats all I really know.
 
the bug for chicken pox is airborne and very contagious. I'd get checked out at the Doc's if I were you.
 
Pepperdog said:
You can get shingles as an adult if you have not had chicken pox I think, but you cant get shingles from shingles or something like that. Its not straight forward at all - thats all I really know.
Click to expand...

incorrect.

Once you get chicken pox, the virus stays dormant in your system and generally stays so for the rest of your life. But for unknown reasons sometimes it wakes up later in life as shingles. So to get shingles, you have to have had chicken pox.

I'm not aware of shingles being contagious.
 
MrsM said:
incorrect.

Once you get chicken pox, the virus stays dormant in your system and generally stays so for the rest of your life. But for unknown reasons sometimes it wakes up later in life as shingles. So to get shingles, you have to have had chicken pox.

I'm not aware of shingles being contagious.
Click to expand...

I said I think as I really wasnt sure, someone told me all about it years ago and I couldnt remember the right way round it was - its in the dark recess of my full up mind somewhere :))
 
taken from NHS Chickenpox website

Chickenpox and shingles

One you have had chickenpox, you usually develop antibodies to the infection and become immune to catching it again. However, the virus that causes chickenpox, the varicella virus, remains dormant (inactive) in your body's nerve tissues and can return later in life as an illness called shingles.

It is possible to catch chickenpox from someone with shingles, but not the other way around.
 
Pepperdog said:
I said I think as I really wasnt sure, someone told me all about it years ago and I couldnt remember the right way round it was - its in the dark recess of my full up mind somewhere :))
Click to expand...

I realise i was being a bit abrupt. Sorry
 
Yeah well my boyfriend said shingles isn't contagious so I thought I'd be fine as I had chicken pox when I was a child but now I'm not so sure I'm ok! Is it worth the risk of infecting others at the doctors?
 
I would phone your GP surgery and explain your situation. The doctor can always give you a call back or ask you to come in. I hope you feel better soon. :)
 
My 5 year old has it now bles her but she's ok covered in lotion:))

I had chicken pox when i was younger but my brother never got it he had shingle's instead
 
Hope you're okay, it's supposed to be worse when you have it as an adult, that's supposedly why people make their kids catch it from others to get it over with...know people who have done this, not saying it's the right thing to do...
 
i beleive you can catch shingles from shingles through sharing towels clothes etc. but its not caught by touch as such. however once the spots pop and dry its no longer contagious.

if you do have it go to the dr as you will most probably need a course of antiviral tablets. there not nice :(
 
When working in care homes a case of shingles was like someone becoming a leppar!
I am sure when you are an adult, as long as you have had chicken pox as a child you can catch shingles.

It's alot worse for adults to get chicken pox / shingles and hygiene should be paramount ( we had to barrier nurse, a bit ott I thought)
However men seen to suffer more than women and it can be extremely painful)
Definitely give the docs a call ( don't visit unless advised and also be very careful to avoid contact with pregnant ladies , children, babies and toddlers and anybody with a surpressed immune system.)

Hope you both feel better soon :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top