Is Poison Ivy Contagious?

There are several misconceptions about poison ivy that are common.  One of the more important ones is the idea that poison ivy is contagious. But is poison ivy contagious? Here are some things you should know about how poison ivy can be caught.

The short answer is that is it not possible to transmit poison ivy from one person to another. However, that does not mean that you cannot become infected by quite a few different means. The key to getting infected with poison ivy is coming into contact with the oily sap that is generated by the plant. This is the agent that will cause the condition to develop, and that will allow the infection to spread.

For example, clothing that has a residue of sap could cause an outbreak of poison ivy if handled by an uninfected person.  That is why care should be taken in handling clothing that was worn at the time of contact with the plant. Fortunately, washing with a good quality commercial detergent will take care of the problem. Dry cleaning the clothing will also kill the agents in the sap that can create the skin infection.

Along with clothing, it is also possible to pick up the infection from any tool or camping gear that came in contact with the sap from the poison ivy plants. This means that any material or substance that came in contact with should be disinfected.  Cleansing the items thoroughly will eliminate the presence of the oil and prevent the condition from spreading to other family members.  When answering the question "is poison ivy contagious," it helps to make it clear that the condition is not normally passed from person to person, but from an object to an individual.

Once the treatment for poison ivy has gotten underway, there is no chance for other people to become infected, simply by contact with the individual suffering from the condition. However, it should be noted that if poison ivy is burned, the smoke from the burning could infect both the skin as well as create problems with the lungs. 

In short, when asked the question "is poison ivy contagious," the correct response will be to answer no, but then qualify that with some of the common ways that the condition can be transmitted.