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 plant. 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.
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