[mfp509]

We are talking about if shingles itself is contagious from another person. Any person who has had chicken pox can develop shingles - it comes from within our own body. From what I have read, the chicken pox virus lies dormant in the body once you have had chicken pox and will come out in the form of shingles in adults and could be the result of being rundown, low resistance, extreme stress etc. For example, my brother -in-law had chicken pox as a child and developed shingles in his adult life. Now if my sister had direct skin contact with his rash, she could have developed chicken pox (not shingles) if she didn't already have chicken pox or the chicken pox vaccine. She was in no danger of getting chicken pox because she had already had it. And shingles itself is not contagious. I know it sounds confusing, but chicken pox is what it transmitted to another person from direct contact with the shingles rash. My sister did verify this with their doctor after I told her what I had found out.