 [ Symptoms ] if someone is exposed to someone with shingles can that person become a carrier of the shingles virus  my father has recently been exposed to someone that has been diagnosed with having shingles since i have had shingles once already i would like to know if i should stay away from him if he is a carrier of the virus if he is a carrier how long should i stay away from him [ Disease ] i know a man who told me his wife died from shingles i think he is a carrier even though he does not have the symptoms because after cleaning his house for him and spending a few hours talking with him and using his dishes i developed a single shingle on my hand and two on the top of my upper lip now i have never had herpes or fever blisters or cold sores ever my family members were afflicted but i never was infected i freaked out and treated the sores with a variety of things to get it to go away before it spread i used colloidal silver for one both topically and orally i used a baking soda paste i used essential oils oregano and peppermint i finally also used organic apple cider vinegar and the one on my hand has disappeared the ones on the lip were gone in four days the one on my hand had lasted two weeks i think you can catch it from someone my husband had it when i was pregnant with my son in 1984 and i never got it i have had chickenpox a mild case when i was a little one i think this is a nervous reaction in the body to stressors that one has not release from you can die from it it seems more serious to me than they make it out to be and it some cases it is contagious