MOL visiting - her partner has shingles

jester77

Hi,

my partner is currently pregnant and her immune system is very weak at the moment. For the last 4 weeks she has the norovirus and it just won't leave her system. Our son also has it and they are both at home and she is not getting any time to properly recover.

The nearest family we have is her mother who is 6 hours away. She is due to visit this week on Wednesday and last night she told us that her partner currently has the shingles. Is this something we should be worried about getting passed on?

dori_dormer

Is the partner coming too? If not I'd say it's fine. Has your wife or child already had chicken pox?

jester77

dori_dormer wrote: »

Is the partner coming too? If not I'd say it's fine. Has your wife or child already had chicken pox?

No the partner is not coming and we don't know if the MOL has had chickenpox. My wife has had chickenpox before, our son has not but is vaccinated. I don't know if I have had chickenpox, I either had it or the measles as a child but my parents don't know which one :mad:

Neyite

If there is a 'don't know', then I'd say err on the side of caution.

The vaccine minimises the chances of getting CP, but I know a few kids who still went on to develop CP despite vaccination - a milder version, but they were still off a few days from crèche and their parents had to take time off to mind them.

You or your son could contract chickenpox from exposure to shingles. The problem is that if MIL has never had chickenpox, then its only several days into the illness that spots occur to show that she has them - and by then it might be too late to prevent exposure to you and your child. So the risk might not be to the pregnancy and your partner, but she might be too exhausted currently to look after a child that might get sick from them.

Here's the NHS factsheet on shingles and pregnancy.

If at all possible, I'd suggest postponing the visit.

January

I would also post pone the visit if I were you.

Shingles is less contagious than chicken pox and cannot be passed from person to person. However, the varicella zoster virus can be spread from a person with shingles to someone who has never had chicken pox. The unfortunate recipient might develop chicken pox, but not shingles

I have had chicken pox twice, so it's possible to get it again and during pregnancy it's not something I'd take a chance on.

Toots

January wrote: »

I would also post pone the visit if I were you.



I have had chicken pox twice, so it's possible to get it again and during pregnancy it's not something I'd take a chance on.

I also had it twice and when I had my booking bloods taken during pregnancy my immunity level to it was very low despite that. I was warned I could still contract it again. TBH I'd postpone, it's not worth risking it. If you're worried about offending the MIL just say the doctor advised it.