When can I return to work after shingles?
(See ‘Eye complications’ below.) The pain of shingles can be mild or severe and usually has a sharp, stabbing, or burning quality. Pain may begin several days before the rash appears. Pain is limited to the parts of the skin affected by the rash, but it can be severe enough to interfere with daily activities and sleep.
How many days rest for shingles?
How quickly can a person cure shingles? In most cases, the time from when symptoms first appear to when the skin clears can take about 3–5 weeks. However, in some cases, people may recover in roughly 2 weeks . Rashes typically appear between 1–5 days after the initial symptoms of tingling, numbness, and burning pain.
Can I attend work with shingles?
If you have shingles, you’re contagious until the last blister has dried and scabbed over. To help prevent the virus being passed on, avoid sharing towels or flannels, swimming, or playing contact sports. You should also avoid work or school if your rash is weeping (oozing fluid) and can’t be covered.
At what point is shingles not contagious?
The risk of spreading VZV to others is low if you cover the shingles rash. People with shingles cannot spread the virus before their rash blisters appear or after the rash crusts. People with chickenpox are more likely to spread VZV than people with shingles.
Do I need to be off work with shingles?
If someone is taking shingles sick leave, they shouldn’t need a lot of time off. They can come back once they feel better, in the event of a fever—but if they have a rash on exposed skin, they should really stay off work until this has crusted over. This can take around seven days.
Should I stay home from work if I have shingles?
If the blisters are located on the face, you should not go back to work until they have crusted over (usually within 7 to 10 days). If the blisters are located in an area you can cover with bandages or clothing you may get back to work as soon as you feel well enough to do so.
Do you feel ill with shingles?
Most cases of shingles cause severe pain and itching, and can leave scars. Fluid-filled blisters develop, break, and crust over during and a few weeks after an outbreak. You also may feel sick or fatigued, with a slight fever or headache. However, it is possible to have rashes that are so mild they’re not even noticed.