[oldmacdonald]

Is the only way a person,who has never had chicken pox,catch shingles,from a person who has shingles with oozing sores? I would like to know, in detail,all about passing shingles to other people.

[J_9]

If you have never had chicken pox you can't catch shingles. To contract shingles one must have had chicken pox earlier in life.

[Wondergirl]

J_9 is correct. I thought I had never had chicken pox, despite never breaking out when my siblings had them and when my students had them years later when I was teaching. But in 2008, lo and behold, a weird bunch of pus-y bumps appeared across my back. My doctor took one look and said, "Yup, you have shingles" and concluded that I must have had a very mild case of chicken pox somewhere along the line.

You may have had chicken pox and don't remember it or didn't realize it.

J_9. who should get a shingles shot?

[joypulv]

WAIT!!!!
Shingles CAN spread the virus to people who have never had chickenpox or been vaccinated, and give them chickenpox, but cannot give them shingles. Usually when open sores.