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June 19, 2006 New vaccine available to reduce older residents’ risk of shingles
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A new vaccine designed to help prevent the outbreak of a painful condition that strikes as people age is now available to the public. The Food and Drug Administration last month licensed Zostavax, a new vaccine to reduce the risk of shingles (herpes zoster) for use in people 60 years of age and older. The new vaccine gives health care providers a valuable tool that can help prevent an illness that affects many older Americans and often results in significant chronic pain. Shingles is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles is essentially a side effect of the chickenpox virus that many adults had as children. After an attack of chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in nerve tissue along the spinal cord. As people's immune systems weaken with age - or when their systems are stressed by other causes - the virus often reemerges in the form of shingles. Shingles starts with pain and itching and eventually develops into a blistered rash with oozing sores that eventually crust over. The clusters of blisters usually develop on one side of the body and can cause severe pain that may last for weeks, months or years after the virus reappears. Zostavax, a live virus vaccine manufactured by Merck, was shown in studies to boost immunity against varicella-zoster virus. The vaccine is given as a single injection under the skin, preferably in the upper arm. A five-year study of more than 38,000 people nationwide found the vaccine reduced the incidence of shingles by more than 50 percent. It also reduced the incidence of shingles-related nerve pain by about two-thirds in people who took the vaccine compared with those who took a placebo. The most common side effects in people who received Zostavax were redness, pain and tenderness, swelling at the site of injection, itching and headache. Zostavax should not be given to individuals who have a weakened immune system caused by treatments they are taking such as radiation, a class of drugs called corticosteroids, or due to conditions such as AIDS, cancer of the lymph, bone or blood. In addition, people who are in close contact with pregnant women who have not had chickenpox should talk to their healthcare provider to decide if using Zostavax is right for them. Zostavax has not been studied among people who have already had shingles, and the effectiveness in preventing repeated episodes is unknown. However, it is unlikely that persons who have had shingles will suffer another episode. In people who were 70 years of age and older, and still developed shingles, even though they had been vaccinated, Zostavax shortened the duration of the pain associated with the illness. Shingles is estimated to affect 2 in every 10 people in their lifetime. Shingles can occur in people of all ages, but most commonly in those over 60 years of age, and this risk increases as people get older. Panhandle Health District expects to receive its first shipment of Zostavax shortly. People age 60 and over who want the vaccine should call 415-5270 for an appointment. Those under age 60 must have a doctor's order for the vaccine. Cost of the vaccine is $188 and not yet covered by Medicare. Information for this story comes from the Centers for Disease Control
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