| In response to your question on the contageous properties of the poison ivy/oak plants, I would have to say yes. . . and no. The oozing blisters that you mentioned don't actually contain the urushiol oil from what I understand. These are your body's immune system's response to the irritant. The oil itself is the culprit for the spread of the rash. So, while the blisters can't pass along the rash from the contents therein, the oil that may be on the skin (or tool, or pet, or clothing. . . ) CAN spread to other people. So the best answer is, yes and no. It has been my experience (my brother and myself having had the rash many times in our lives) that, after about 48 to 72 hours after the rash appears, the oils that cause the irritation are no longer transferrable to other people. However, in my experience, when you first notice the rash and first start to blister the oils are still transferrable and therefore contact to or with other people's skin or clothing should be avoided. I hope that the comments I've made have helped, in some way, clear up any misconceptions or misunderstandings that you may have had about this particular issue. On another subject entirely, many of the home remedies on this site are the self-same remedies that my brother and I have found to work for us. Washing with bleach immediately after having worked in the yard or hiked through the woods does seem to ensure that the oils are washed away before they can do any damage. Bandaging the affected areas during sleep so as to ensure that the oil does not transfer to the bedsheets also seems to have helped, but I've gotten off topic. Again, I hope something I've said has helped you in some way. |
