2024-02-17 08:00:00
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Shingles is painful and extremely uncomfortable. You can become infected through a smear infection – but only under certain conditions.
Rash with itchy blisters and burning pain – shingles (herpes zoster) puts a lot of stress on those affected in everyday life. The so-called varicella-zoster viruses are responsible for this. Anyone who becomes infected with them for the first time gets chickenpox. The viruses then remain unnoticed in the body and make themselves at home on the nerve roots. They only become active again when our immune system is weakened: for example as we get older or due to an illness. The pathogens then multiply and trigger an inflammatory reaction – a rash typical of shingles occurs. But how quickly can you become infected with the disease?
Chickenpox vs shingles: That’s how contagious they are
Be careful of the rash with blisters: This applies to both chickenpox and shingles. © Pond5 Images/IMAGO
It is well known that chickenpox is extremely easy to transmit. Loud Infektionsschutz.de They spread through tiny drops of saliva. People expel these when they cough, sneeze or even just speak. Just like shingles, chickenpox also causes a rash with blisters. If these burst, the fluid that comes out is also highly infectious.
With shingles, the risk of infection is lower:
- She kicks loudly gesundheitsinformation.de only occurs in people who have already had chickenpox.
- It is not transmitted via droplet infection.
- Only the rash, or more precisely the fluid in the blisters, is infectious.
- Infektionsschutz.de According to this, pregnant women with shingles cannot pass the disease on to their unborn child.
- A vaccination can protect against shingles.
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How long is shingles infectious?
With shingles, the rash appears about two to three days after infection. Loud gesundheitsinformation.de The blisters stay for about five days and then dry out within one to two weeks. Once the last of them have crusted over, shingles patients are no longer contagious.
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In order to protect others, those affected should Robert Koch Institute (RKI) According to this, wash your hands particularly thoroughly and often. You should also cover the blisters well – and avoid close physical contact with others until they have healed.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.
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