Ford-Iroquois Public Health Department Announces Shingles Vaccine Availability

Written by OJ Fagbire

Sunday, 22 April 2007

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A recent announcement by the Public Health Office of Ford-Iroquois has revealed that the vaccine for shingles is now available. The announcement was made by the Health Coordinator of Schools Cathy McEwan, who announced that the vaccine named Zoatavax has been made available to people that are 60 years or older and has been recently developed and proven to help decrease incidence of singles.

The shingles disease is actually characterized by an extremely painful rash on a person's skin and one that blisters very easily as well. It is perhaps known to a wider audience by the name of Herpes Zoster and is common in people with compromised immune systems, according to McEwen. She then went on to mention another group at risk.

According to McEwan: "Shingles is far more common in people 50 and older than in younger people."

According to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) based out of the state of Atlanta, the shingles rash tends to occur specifically on one side of the body. In other words, if a person has a face rash they would tend to only be symptomatic on one side of their face and likewise people with shingles on their arms would really only usually notice symptoms on one of their two arms. Most of the time the disease lasts 2-4 weeks and is characterized by severe pain. In very rare cases more serious complications can occur; even death. The real seriousness of the illness stems from the fact that around 20% of people that are afflicted by it continue to feel chronic symptoms of pain and discomfort once the illness has run its course.

McEwen commented that the shingles condition is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox; the Varicella Zoster virus. However, she was careful to point out that just because it is caused by the same virus does not mean that the diseases are similar enough that a person that has chicken pox at an earlier age is immune to shingles later on in life. According to McEwan, "The virus stays in your body. It can reappear many years later to cause a case of shingles."

The cost of the single vaccination necessary to protect against the illness is $155.00 and is covered by some insurance plans. People should check with their specific insurance to see if this coverage is present for them. The CDC issues a word of caution however and advises that some people should wait before getting vaccinated.

According to the CDC, the following groups of people should be cautious about getting the vaccination and should discuss the situation with their doctor beforehand: people with allergies to gelatin, people with allergies to neomycin, people with weakened immune systems, people undergoing drug treatments that affect their immune systems, people undergoing chemotherapy, people with a history of cancer, people with tuberculosis and people that are pregnant.

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