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Shingles Vaccine Safe, Underutilized, Study Says
Posted 23 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, April 23 – The shingles vaccine is generally safe and well tolerated by patients, according to a new study. Shingles, which affects more than 1 million people each year in the United States, is a painful contagious rash caused by the dormant chickenpox virus, which can reactivate and replicate, damaging the nervous system. Elderly people are especially at risk because immunity against the virus that causes shingles declines with age. In this study, researchers looked at data from more than 193,000 adults 50 and older who received the shingles vaccine, also known as the herpes zoster vaccine, over two years. There was a small increased risk of local reactions (redness and pain) from one to seven days after vaccination. This finding matches the results of clinical trials. The shingles vaccine did not increase the risk for cerebrovascular diseases; cardiovascular diseases; ... Read more
Related support groups: Herpes Zoster, Zostavax, Herpes Zoster -- Prophylaxis, Zoster Vaccine Live
Fear Proves Prime Motivator for Vaccinations
Posted 16 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Sept. 16 – Sometimes a little fear might be a good thing. To run an effective public vaccination program, you've got to make sure that adequate amounts of the vaccine are available and there are enough staff members to administer it, said Dr. Adewale Troutman, director of the public health practice program at the University of South Florida, who, until recently, headed the Department of Public Health and Wellness in Louisville. You also have to figure out when the public will be available to come get the vaccinations you offer. And, of course, you need to make sure they are properly frightened. Fear has proven to be the most potent motivator in getting people to not shrug off important immunizations, like an annual flu shot, Troutman said. "The influenza vaccine is really an important immunization that people discount because, ehh, it's just the flu," he said. "But tens of ... Read more
Related support groups: Influenza, Herpes Zoster, Swine Influenza, Zostavax, FluLaval, Afluria, FluMist, Fluzone, Flushield, Fluvirin, Herpes Zoster -- Prophylaxis, Fluzone PFS, Fluarix, Influenza Virus Vaccine, Inactivated, Fluzone SV
U.S. Shingles Vaccine Approval Expanded
Posted 26 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, March 24 – The Zostavax shingles vaccine is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people aged 50 and older. FDA-sanctioned use of the vaccine, first approved in 2006, had been limited to people 60 and older. The expanded approval includes the about 200,000 people aged 50 to 59 who contract shingles each year, the agency said in a news release. Shingles is caused by the same varicella-zoster virus that caused chickenpox when the affected people were younger. The virus lies dormant in the body until years later, when for reasons that aren't understood, it re-emerges as shingles – commonly in older people with weakened immune systems. Shingles is characterized by a painful blistery rash, often on one side of the body. In some people, the severe pain can last for months or years after shingles emerges, the FDA said. The vaccine was clinically evaluated in ... Read more
Related support groups: Herpes Zoster, Zostavax, Herpes Zoster -- Prophylaxis
Shingles Vaccine Associated With 55 Percent Reduced Risk of Disease
Posted 12 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
Kaiser Permanente Research Strengthens National Recommendations PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – Receiving the herpes zoster vaccine was associated with a 55 percent reduced risk of developing shingles, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of 300,000 people that appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. This retrospective study observed the outcomes of the effectiveness of the herpes zoster vaccine in a large, diverse population of men and women ages 60 years and older. Researchers found a significant reduced risk of shingles across all sub-groups – those who are healthy as well as those with chronic conditions including diabetes or heart, lung or kidney diseases. These study findings differ from the clinical trial of the vaccine, which observed its effectiveness on 38,000 participants 60 years of age and older and found it less ... Read more
Related support groups: Zostavax, Herpes Zoster -- Prophylaxis
Shingles Vaccine Looks Like a Safe Bet for Seniors: Study
Posted 11 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 11 – Jane Adrian, 61, a landscape architect in Glendale, Calif., saw her parents and two co-workers suffer from the painful, blistering condition known as shingles, so when the vaccine became available, she got it. Even though the vaccine is only about 55 percent effective, "it's better than nothing," she said. "Now I feel relieved." A study of a cross-section of adults enrolled with a health-management organization in southern California shows that the vaccine provides protection for many older adults without many side effects. The findings are published in the Jan. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Shingles is caused by the herpes zoster virus and only strikes people who have had chicken pox. It usually starts as a rash on one side of the face or body, often causing pain, itching and tingling. About a million cases occur in the United States ... Read more
Related support groups: Herpes Zoster, Zostavax, Herpes Zoster -- Prophylaxis