Shingles Vaccine Effective For All Ages

[Madeline]

A study of more than 300,000 elderly patients showed that the underutilized herpes zoster vaccine reduced the incidence of painful shingles outbreaks by 55%, even in the oldest populations, researchers reported Tuesday.

The results suggest that the vaccine, which was introduced in 2006 and now reaches about 11% of the elderly population nationwide, should be used much more widely, experts said.

Shingles is a painful rash brought on by the varicella zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Once chickenpox subsides, the virus can remain hidden in a person’s body for decades before erupting once more. In addition to pain, a rash can cause vision loss if it spreads to the eyes. The most severe complication is post-herpetic neuralgia, in which the virus causes irritation and inflammation inside nerves. That is a persistent, painful condition that can go on for years and that is “extremely challenging to control,” said Dr. Bruce Hirsh, an infectious diseases specialist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., who was not involved in the research. “Some patients have even been driven to suicide.”

The herpes zoster vaccine, sold as Zostavax by Merck and Co., was introduced in an attempt to prevent such complications.

Shingles vaccine is effective, even in older patients, study finds - chicagotribune.com

You need not be elderly to suffer this condition. Especially if you have had chicken pox, it may well be worth asking your MD about this.

 

[AllieBaba]

Wow, that's really cool if it's true. I'll ask my niece, who is a doctor, and who incidentally was diagnosed with shingles at 17.

 

[Madeline]

Wow, that's really cool if it's true. I'll ask my niece, who is a doctor, and who incidentally was diagnosed with shingles at 17.

Please let me know what you find out, Allie. There're people in my family who have had chicken pox....including me.

 

[AllieBaba]

I had horrible chicken pox too; as did both my older kids.

I definitely will let you know.

 

[syrenn]

Not something i ever want to get! Ill have to ask about the vaccine. Thanks

 

[AllieBaba]

I sent her a message on facebook. She is doing her residency in one of the better ERs and doesn't have much free time, so it might be a while before I hear, but I'll let you know!

 

[strollingbones]

i dont care how much it cost...if you need it...get it....i have survived shingles....its really bad...i had pain for months before the blisters appeared....my doctor fussed at me...why didnt you come in earlier.....i told him i just figured it was cancer and all......if felt like someone was stabbing me with a hot knife
a

and the shingles werent much better....i was on percodan for months....

 

[editec]

My GF had these shortly before and while he died of something else.

Hardly seems a fair way to go, does it?

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Get yer kids vaccinated so's dey don't get sick...

CDC: Chickenpox deaths plummeted since vaccine
Mon Jul 25,`11 – Chickenpox vaccine has dramatically cut deaths from the disease, especially in children, says a new government study proclaiming an important public health victory.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that chickenpox deaths fell from an average of 105 per year to 14 after the vaccine had been available for a dozen years. Deaths declined in all age groups, but the drop was most significant among children. "To see the near elimination of chickenpox deaths in this country is very exciting," said Jane Seward, a CDC official who co-authored the paper. She has been involved in the agency's chickenpox vaccine program for 15 years. The report was released online Monday by the journal Pediatrics.

Chickenpox is caused by a virus and is highly contagious. Symptoms include an itchy skin rash and fever. Most kids suffer no more than that, but some suffer complications like skin infections, swelling of the brain and pneumonia. Severe cases are more common among adolescents and adults who get it for the first time. Also, the virus — called varicella — can reactivate in people later in life and cause a painful illness called shingles.

While rarely fatal, chickenpox was very common before the vaccine — nearly one in 10 pre-adolescent children would get it in a year, said Dr. Eugene Shapiro, a Yale University expert in infectious disease. In 1995, the government first recommended that all children get a dose of chickenpox vaccine. One dose turned out to be about 86 percent effective. A second dose is now recommended.

The new CDC study looked at national records for deaths attributed to chickenpox. In the five years before the vaccine, an average of 105 Americans died of the virus annually. By 2007 — 12 years after the vaccine — the annual death toll had dropped to 14, and almost all were adults. The vaccine deserves credit for the decline in children's deaths, Seward said. It's also likely cut adult deaths because there are fewer infected children around to spread it to adults, she added.

Source

 

[Dabs]

I had shingles when I was about 5 or 6 years old. The doctors told my Mother it was something about my nervous disorder. They named the disease correctly, it does look very much like shingles overlapping on top of a house.
I have a large scar, under my right breast, shaped like a baseball (field) diamond. I recall vaguely it being a huge scab, and my Mother telling me NOT to pick at the scabs Debbie, but I pulled this large scab off, and so it remains a pretty visible scar today, as a reminder.
My Mother also told me later in life, that it was rare for a child to get shingles, at such a young age. I guess they did bother me, Mother had to try many things to keep me comfortable while I had them. Mine started at the right side of my torso area, right below my breast area and around my rib cage, and went to the back and then came over to my left side.
I don't remember the whole shingles ordeal, but I see the scar every day, and it then kind of brings back memories to when I was messing with that scab.