 [ Symptoms ] my husband currently has shingles how can i prevent myself and 2 year old from getting it [ Disease ] my husband had shingles and both my daughters got chicken pox the incubation period is 14 to 21 days from the time they first are exposed he had them on his chest and they did not come in contact with that part of him but they got them anyway i think exposure is more than touching the scabs evidently but the old saying that if you get them once you will not get them again is only true with chicken pox if a person is susceptible and exposed and their resistance is low they will get shingles if exposed to them or if their body will not fight it off some people opt for a shot that i am not sure of the name of it but if a person gets it within a certain amount of time after the recover from the shingles they are less likely to get them again but they say it is quite expensive so just being in the same house and touching things the person with shingles has touched will cause a child to contact the chicken pox as it is of the same virus