This is nothing unusual or particular to divoC. A medically vulnerable person can catch the measles, chicken pox, rubella, pertussis, probably others, from recently vaccinated people. The vaccinated persons needn’t be feeling unwell or showing any symptoms like pimples or a slight rash. Shingles may be contracted by anyone who has had natural chicken pox when in the presence of a person recently vaccinated or given a booster shot for varicella, (chicken pox). This happened to a work colleague of mine when at a three day conference. She caught it from a third party who’d taken a booster shot the day before. We carpooled to save money, and I volunteered for the job because I get carsick on long trips unless I’m doing the driving! The two ladies rode for five hours in the back seat of my ‘87 Hyundai Excel, a small compact hatchback (NOT recommended for a used car unless you enjoy replacing your battery, alternator, and attaching cable every 8,000 miles!). We added a day on either end to make a mini-vacation, and she got increasingly worse on the way back. We hit the NYC metro area at 5:15 PM on a Friday which added another two hours to her misery. One needn’t be old to get shingles. Viviana was only 26. I didn’t get it although I’ve had chicken pox and at the time, was in my 40’s. The woman who’d had the booster shot felt really badly about it, but she didn’t know she could spread it. I think Viviana got sick because she was under a lot of stress in her marriage. Her husband of two years had cancer and had moved back in with his mother for her to care for him. They’d also had a miscarriage of their first child a few months before his diagnosis. We convinced Viv to come with us in the hope of lifting her spirits.

I didn’t know Shawna had gotten the booster shot. It’s not the kind of thing one mentions. That didn’t come out until Viv got home and to the doctor.