In "Without appointment", Wednesday, on Europe 1, the doctor Jimmy Mohamed took stock of the shingles, in response to the question of a listener who was worried about its contagiousness in nursery.

Shingles, a resurgence of chickenpox, is not very contagious, and a vaccine is possible from the age of 50.

DECRYPTION

At the microphone of

 Sans rendez-vous

 Wednesday on Europe 1, Fanny, an auditor from Paris with shingles on the hip, worried about having to return to work in nurseries when she was warned about the contagiousness of this disease .

Doctor Jimmy Mohamed told him that shingles was not very contagious, and took the opportunity to take stock of this virus that can come back.

>> Find all of Sans rendez-vous every day from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Europe 1 as well as in replay and podcast here

What is shingles? 

"It's the reactivation of the chickenpox virus that we had in childhood. You are going to be cured, but you are going to keep this virus in you, in the ganglia at the level of the nerves in the back, which is going to be latent. In 20% of cases, after 50 years, it will reactivate and give the famous shingles. "

What are the symptoms and affected areas?

"It is damage to the ganglia in the back. It means that all the nerves can be affected, so that you can have shingles in the leg - often only one of the two legs - but also in the area. on the back, around the ribs and on the stomach, or even on the face. It all depends on the location and the nerve that is going to be affected. You will first feel a burning sensation, like sciatica. Then you will see the plaques with little vesicles, little bubbles that will pierce, develop into scabs. And you will spontaneously heal from the shingles. "

Is it contagious ?

Should we take a work stoppage?

"Shingles is not a problem because it is not very contagious. What can be contagious are precisely these small blisters: if you ever touch them and do not wash your hands, then you touch someone who does not has not had chickenpox, you can pass it on to him. It can cause problems in newborns, immunocompromised people or possibly pregnant women. You can possibly put on a small bandage. "

Is shingles likely to come back?

"Shingles happens after 50 because the immunity is going to be less effective and often, when you are a little tired, when you have a viral infection, you are at risk of getting shingles. But if you do, you can do anything. to do another since it is a recurrence of chickenpox. This is why, sometimes, we can offer vaccination. "

Is it useful to get vaccinated?

"The vaccine is recommended from the age of 65 and up to 74, but it is possible to do it from the age of 50 for two reasons. The first is that we know that one in two people have 85 years will have had shingles in their lifetime. The second is that the vaccine will be effective on shingles, but also on the risk of having post-shingles pain. you are not vaccinated, it is possible to have chronic pain for many months, even years. For Covid, you will have to wait three weeks before getting vaccinated, because this is the minimum time. "