- With Mayo Clinic internist
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
James Steckelberg, M.D.
Dr. James Steckelberg is chairman of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic, a consultant and a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
A native of Fremont, Neb., Dr. Steckelberg was a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine as a resident in internal medicine and a fellow in infectious diseases, and is board certified in both. He is the former director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Steckelberg belongs to numerous professional organizations. He is a founding member of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society of America and a fellow with the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He has served on many Mayo Clinic committees and is a member of the Department of Medicine Leadership Committee and the executive committee of the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also served on the editorial boards of "Mayo Clinic Proceedings" and "Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy" and has been an editorial reviewer for more than a dozen publications.
Dr. Steckelberg's research interests include experimental models of infection, epidemiology of infection, and antimicrobial resistance and therapy of bacterial infections.
Risk factors (1)
- Shingles vaccine: Can I transmit the vaccine virus to others?
Treatments and drugs (1)
- Shingles treatment: Does alcohol use interfere with shingles therapy?
Prevention (1)
- Shingles vaccine: Should I get it?
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Question
Shingles vaccine: Can I transmit the vaccine virus to others?
When I got the shingles vaccine last week, I was told to stay away from my pregnant daughter-in-law and my grandchildren. Can you tell me why? How long do I have to stay away from them?
Answer
from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
The shingles vaccine (Zostavax) is made from a live, attenuated strain of the virus (herpes zoster) that causes shingles. In rare instances, it may be possible for someone who develops a rash from the shingles vaccine to transmit the vaccine virus to another person. This is a theoretical concern, especially for pregnant women and children who haven't had chickenpox or haven't been vaccinated against chickenpox.
If you develop a rash — which looks similar to the rash that occurs in shingles or chickenpox — after receiving the shingles vaccine, talk to your doctor about precautions you should take in avoiding contact with your daughter-in-law and grandchildren. When you have shingles, it is generally recommended that you avoid close contact with people susceptible to chickenpox while the skin rash is active, usually around seven to 10 days.
If you don't develop a rash from the vaccine, it's not necessary to avoid contact with susceptible people.
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