Can Poison Ivy Spread – Plant to Person, Person to Person?

Rashes and infections brought about by contact with the Poison Ivy plant is perhaps one of the most common (at least in the United States) but remains as one of the more misunderstood. There still persists a mountain of questions and misconceptions surrounding whether Poison Ivy can spread. If Poison Ivy is contagious, or can Poison Ivy spread via the yellowish liquid found inside the blister formed when your rashes appeared? According to most doctors and dermatologists, the misconceptions have been brought about by people who believe that they are experts on the subject matter or questions that have been taken as explicit statements of facts.

One of the most common misconceptions is that there is a possibility for very sensitive people to get Poison Ivy allergies even by just standing near the plant. This in general of course is considered as a myth since the urushiol component of the plant is responsible for triggering the allergic reaction. The only way for the allergic reaction to begin without coming into contact with the oil is to inhale the smoke coming from a fire that is burning the Poison Ivy plant. So, can Poison Ivy spread without touching the oil? Yes by inhaling the smoke of a burning Poison Ivy plant.

Another common myth is that Poison Ivy allergy is contagious. This is based on the notion that the allergic reaction is passed from one person to another. This is of course untrue. Poison Ivy allergy is not contagious nor can the allergy itself be passed to another person like the common cold. So how can Poison Ivy spread itself from one person to another? The simplest explanation is that the urushiol oil which is an invisible agent is so potent that it can survive on clothes, tools, boot, or even on other plants. A person who gets an allergic reaction from a Poison Ivy plant typically gets the oil on his belongings also. This is reason for the transfer of the allergy to other people. This is also the same answer to the question of can Poison Ivy spread over and over in a single place or on a single person. Unless the remnants of the urushiol oil are removed from these materials, the condition has a tendency to keep on repeating.

Can Poison Ivy spread to babies and younger children? Many people believe that babies and young children are immune to the allergic reaction. This is another misconception that has been taken as a fact by some people. The reality that very few Poison Ivy allergic reactions have been seen in babies and young children does not confirm the fact that they are immune to the condition. Many pediatricians believe that the limited number of exposures in this group is not caused by their immunity but rather because they are kept from areas where Poison Ivy plants grow. Babies and young children mostly are not allowed to wander off by themselves and therefore are protected from coming into contact with the plant.