The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

Here is everything you always wanted to know about the shingles vaccine, but did not know whom to ask. Being well informed by knowing all the facts is Key to making the right choice for you. Isn’t it convenient to have this information at your fingertips? I trust that you find it helpful.

Chickenpox (Varicella) Vaccine: This Is Why a Shingles Epidemic Is Bolting Straight at the U.S.

Dr. Craig Hales, a physician and epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that Herpes zoster rates among adults have been slowly rising over time in the United States and other countries. In the United States, herpes zoster rates have increased by 39% from 1992 to 2010 among adults older than 65 years of age in spite of a concerted shingles vaccination program.

Have you ever wondered why?  The answer may surprise you…

Help prevent Shingles with ZOSTAVAX, the Shingles vaccine.

ZOSTAVAX (“ZOS-tah-vax”) is not a treatment for Shingles—it’s a vaccine you can get now to help reduce your risk of getting Shingles in the future. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that appropriate adults 60 years of age or older get vaccinated to help prevent Shingles. This is one side of the story.

The Shingles Vaccine: Help or Hype?

Let the buyer beware. Mass vaccination of children for chicken pox has apparently triggered a large increase in shingles in the adult population.  So what has Merck done?  It simply repackaged the chicken pox vaccine as Zostovax and made it approximately 14 times stronger.

In essence then, the shingles vaccine is just the chicken pox vaccine 14X stronger and yet it still only boasts an effectiveness rate of 51 percent.   That piece of data alone should give most people considering this shot some serious pause.

Zostavax (Herpes Zoster Vaccine) Questions and Answers

Now that you have had a chance to see both sides of the coin, here are some questions and answers about the shingles vaccine for you to think about.