How do you get bells palsy?

Could I catch Bells Palsy since you get it from a virus?

• My cousin has Bells Palsy, most likely from Herpes. My brother has symptoms of Bells Palsy. I read online it's not contagious but if you get it from a virus then isn't it contagious? How do I prevent it?

• Answer:

  Bell's Palsy, an inflammation of a facial nerve, is most commonly seen in people with Herpes Simplex. It's also seen in people with the Epstein-Barr virus, Mono and Cytomegalovirus. It very rarely affects people under the age of 15 or over 60 years of age. Technically, you get it because you have a virus, but Bell's Palsy itself is not contagious.