why does chicken pox cause shingles

[Salni]

My grand children have chicken pox. The scabs have dropped off. I want to visit my elderly mother. Can I pass shingles on to her from the chicken pox virus?

[Blyss]

Im not really sure but I think the virus lays dormant in the spine , therefore if you come in contact with somone with chicken pox they will pass it on to you.
I would leave of the visit for a week at least ...since you are also in contact with your daughter .
Maybe you can send her a nice bunch of flowers and give her a call instead until then.

[netibiza]

You can't catch chicken pox from shingles, but you can get shingles from chicken pox. Shingles travels up a nerve around the torso and is extremely painful.

[alijangra]

No, you cant. Shingles is a flare up of chickenpox virus lying dormant. Chickenpox can be caused by shingles if a person who has never had chickenpox comes into contact with someone with shingles. Nothing 'causes' shingles as such, its the chickenpox virus flaring up in the nerve roots.

[alijangra]

Shingles can affect any area of the body, and always follows a nerve pathway. It can range from mild to very severe and can be had more than once.

[lillys]

yes you can pass on shingles its the chicken pox virus!!

[alijangra]

'A person with a shingles rash can pass the virus to someone, usually a child, who has never had chickenpox, but the child will develop chickenpox, not shingles. A person with chickenpox cannot communicate shingles to someone else. Shingles comes from the virus hiding inside the person's body, not from an outside source.'

source:

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/shingles/sh ingles.htm

[Salni]

thanks for the replies. I sent my mum a lovely bunch of flowers. And rang the nursing home to explain. Thankfully she is in a good one. I'm visiting her next week