As long as the blisters are wet, he is contagious. When they dry, he is fine. Anyone who has not had chicken pox should stay away. You would not catch shingles from him, but chicken pox. The pox virus stays dormant for years and then some insult ticks it off and RAWR!

It is rumored that those who had an easy case of chicken pox or those who got it much later on tend to get shingles more quickly than the rest of us.

my DD has had it 5 times now. She had it as a teen and it was quite mild. DH had it as an adult and was quite mild. He has had it twice. I had a bad case as a young child and have never had shingles. (crossing fingers, and praying to the pox god that I didnt just jinx myself)