Adult Vaccinations

What is shingles?

Shingles is a painful skin rash, often with blisters. It is also called Herpes Zoster.

A shingles rash usually appears on one side of the face or body and lasts a week to 10 days. Its main symptom is pain, which can be quite severe. Other symptoms of shingles can include fever, headache, chills and upset stomach. Very rarely, a shingles infection can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis) or death.

For about 1 person in 5, severe pain can continue even after the rash clears up. This is called post-herpetic neuralgia.

Shingles is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Only someone who has had a case of chickenpox – or gotten chickenpox vaccine – can get shingles. The virus stays in your body. It can reappear many years later to cause a case of shingles.

You can’t catch shingles from another person with shingles. However, a person who has never had chickenpox (or chickenpox vaccine) could get chickenpox from someone with shingles. This is not very common.

Shingles is far more common in people 60 and older than in younger people. It is also more common in people whose immune systems are weakened because of a disease such as cancer, or drugs such as steroids or chemotherapy. At least 500,000 people a year in the United States get shingles.

Shingles vaccine--Zostavax

A vaccine for shingles was licensed in 2006. In clinical trials, the vaccine prevented shingles in about half of people 60 years of age and older. It can also reduce the pain associated with shingles.

A single dose of shingles vaccine is indicated for adults 60 years of age and older.

A person should not get shingles vaccine if they:
• have ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or any other component of shingles vaccine. Tell your doctor if you have any severe allergies.
• have a weakened immune system because of
• H.I.V. AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system,
• treatment with drugs that affect the immune system, such as steroids,
• cancer treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy,
• a history of cancer affecting the bone marrow or lymphatic system, such as leukemia or lymphoma.
• have active, untreated tuberculosis.
• are pregnant, or might be pregnant. Women should not become pregnant until at least three months after getting shingles vaccine.

Someone with a minor illness, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. But anyone who is moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting the vaccine. This includes anyone with a temperature of 101 point 3 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

What are the risks from shingles vaccine?

A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. However, the risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small.

No serious problems have been identified with shingles vaccine.

BE WISE! IMMUNIZE!!

FACT: Each year in the United States, up to 60,000 adults die from vaccine-preventable diseases or their complications.

FACT: Pneumonia and influenza together are the seventh leading cause of death in the US and fifth leading cause of death among older adults.

FACT: An estimated 80,000 people in the US are infected with hepatitis B each year. The majority are adolescents and young adults.

FACT: Vaccines are among the safest medicines available.

Adult vaccinations are one of the most overlooked preventative tools in the health industry today. Vaccine-preventable diseases that are sometimes mild in children can be serious diseases in adults. For instance, serious complications of mumps are more common among adults than among children. Similarly, adolescents and adults are more likely than children to develop severe complications or die when infected with the chickenpox virus.

The CDC recommends various vaccines for adults, depending on their age, medical condition, and potential risk for a particular disease. There are different recommendations for vaccines given during pregnancy. Vaccines recommended for adults include:

• Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccine—for all adults. Every 10 years.
• Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine—for susceptible adults (people who never got the disease nor the vaccine).
• Influenza vaccine—needed annually by those 50 years of age and older, pregnant women and all health-care workers & children 6 months-5years.
• Pneumococcal vaccine—for people 65 years of age and older or those with chronic disorders.
• Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine—for susceptible adults (people who never got the disease nor the vaccine).
• Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccines—for adults at risk of exposure.

While childhood immunization coverage rates are above 90% in the US, adolescent and adult immunization rates are under 70%.

All adults should do a "vaccine inventory check". Each individual needs to look at past vaccines and potential exposure to vaccine-preventable diseases.

Traveling out of the country? Check with us for recommended immunizations.