I have read both ways---that it is not contagious but also that if your pet walks through it and then rubs against you-or you don't launder the clothes you were wearing and then put them back on--you can catch it again. so how can it not be contagious?
Anonymous
Favorite Answer
Sort of....if fresh....like herpes or aids but remember poison ivy is not a virus....just some scum that hurts and makes you itch. Not like some lethal virus a man might aquire from a womans filthy vagina. Good luck.
Anonymous
Yes, poison ivy can be transferred from person to person. The rash caused is from an oil that the poison ivy plant secretes. If any part that has come in contact with the oil touches another person, they will most likely receive a rash. You should thoroughly wash the oil off of the skin, and put your clothes through a wash.
Hope this helps!
bobbi
The ivy itself is contagious only through physical contact. The oil which causes the skin allergy in most humans can survive for years even after the plant has died. However, if he has washed off the area thoroughly, and he doesn't pick at it, you will be just fine. It is certainly not contagious through the air, so being near him will not hurt you.
Bird
The oil from the leaves of the plant is what causes you to break out in a rash. If a persons skin, clothes, pets, etc have the oil on them it will cause a reaction wherever it touches you.
Anonymous
There is an oil from the plant that gets on your skin to cause irritation. Sometimes pets, clothes or other things can carry the oil, and once touched it will irritate your skin. I have seen people cathch poison ivy from the plant itself, from a dog, from clothers and from garden tools.