Shingles
If you’ve got shingles—a viral infection caused by herpes zoster—be careful about who you come in contact with. “There is virus in those blisters,” says David Cutler, MD, family medicine physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
And it’s not just shingles that you can spread when you’re infected with herpes zoster. Since the virus that causes shingles also causes chicken pox, “you’re worried about coming in contact with people who are immunocompromised, on chemotherapy, or infants.”
The good news? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus is only active when an affected individual has blisters—so once your itchy patches have crusted over, you’re free to head outside again.
