Zostavax, as the vaccine is called, was approved in 2006, based on the results of clinical trials. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the shot for eligible people aged 60 and older.
Tseng's team wanted to test the vaccine's real-world performance, so they compared 75,761 vaccinated members of the Kaiser Permanente health plan to 227,283 members who elected not to have the shot. Kaiser funded the study.
In vaccinated individuals, the rate of shingles was 6.4 cases per 1,000 people in a year while it was twice that -- 13 per 1,000 -- in the unvaccinated population, the investigators found.
The vaccine also reduced the risk of ophthalmic herpes zoster (infection that affects the eye) by 63 percent and hospitalization by 65 percent.
Because shingles is not contagious and doesn't present a risk of death, [Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an attending physician in infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.] said he would recommend the flu vaccine and the pneumococcal vaccine over this one for uninsured patients who would have to pay out-of-pocket.
"This study helps me in terms of advising patients and prioritizing," Hirsch added.
While less reliable than some childhood vaccines, which are usually 90 percent effective in preventing certain illnesses, the shingles vaccination is still worthwhile, said Dr. Ciro Sumaya, professor of health policy and management at Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health.
For now, he advises getting it. "It's protecting against a severe disease, particularly in elderly adults," he said, "so the benefit, I think, is overwhelming that we should be using this because it's recommended."
Read More http://www.ivillage.com/shingles-vaccine-looks-safe-bet-seniors-study/4-a-313247#ixzz1ArX9so45
I think you all know where I stand on this vaccination. If you can possibly get it, do so. I think it should be covered by insurance companies, because the effects of shingles can be severe and disabling. It's accurate to say that shingles won't kill you while the flu or pneumonia could, but that ignores the possibility of long-term pain, or even blindness in the case of opthalmic herpes zoster.
Always consult your doctor before making any health decisions.
Check out my previous post on shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia here.
