Shingles could make on a regular basis duties – from getting dressed to going to mattress – a painful proposition. The wrongdoer behind this painful rash, which primarily impacts older folks, is similar virus chargeable for one other frequent however debilitating situation: chickenpox.

“Most of us by no means do away with the chickenpox virus,” says William Schaffner, MD, president of the Nationwide Basis for Infectious Illnesses. “It lies dormant within the winter like a bear in a cave. When somebody will get shingles, the virus has reawakened.”

Thankfully, there’s a vaccine accessible that drastically reduces the chance of shingles. Schaffner, who can also be a professor within the division of infectious ailments at Vanderbilt College College of Medication and chairman of the college's division of preventive medication, spoke to WebMD about safety.

The shingles vaccine is beneficial for anybody age 50 or older who doesn’t have a severely immunocompromised illness, that means their immune system is functioning, and so they haven’t not too long ago undergone therapies akin to chemotherapy or excessive doses of steroids.

It’s a two-shot vaccine. Protection is offered via Medicare, however it may be tough to get authorised. You must work on the system a bit.

'No. It could nonetheless be very efficient, though it is strongly recommended that you simply wait as much as a 12 months after the episode earlier than receiving the vaccine.”

Shingles in itself will not be life-threatening, however might be fairly disabling. If it entails your face or eyes, it could possibly threaten your imaginative and prescient. Even after the rash has subsided, you might proceed to have ache in that a part of the physique that may be brought on by even trivial stimuli, such because the contact of a shirt in opposition to the pores and skin. Typically it could possibly cease folks from leaving their properties. The older we get, the better the chance. If you happen to survive to age 80, you’ve a 25% to 50% probability of getting shingles.”

“That is an especially secure vaccine. A number of % of individuals get chickenpox blisters throughout, however they’re innocent and disappear on their very own.”

“Solely if in case you have a compromised immune system.”