Shingles vaccine: Can I transmit the vaccine virus to others?

The virus that causes shingles — varicella-zoster virus — is also the virus that causes chickenpox. But the shingles vaccine, for people age 60 and older, is not the same as the childhood vaccine to prevent chickenpox.

Your doctor's concern about your daughter-in-law and grandchildren may stem from reports of rare cases in which people with no immunity to chickenpox — meaning they've never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine — have caught varicella-zoster virus from recently vaccinated children.

That hasn't happened in years of testing and experience with the shingles vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in normal circumstances, it's unnecessary to avoid pregnant women and unvaccinated children after you get the shingles vaccine.

To develop shingles, you have to catch chickenpox first, which typically happens in childhood. When you get over chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus stays in your body but remains dormant, often for many years and possibly for life. As you age, though, there's an increasing risk that the virus will reactivate, resulting in shingles.

If you develop a rash after you get the shingles vaccine, take the precaution of keeping the rash covered until all the bumps crust over.