Shingles Vaccine

Male Speaker: I have this what I call a sunburn pain. Micheal Oxman: So it bothers you to wear your shirt? Male Speaker: Yes it is. Jennifer Mathews: What keeps this man shirt off is, is a wear pain from shingles. This rash is a hall mark of the disease, which is caused by the chicken pox virus. Micheal Oxman: When he had chicken pox, the virus didn’t go away. It went up and went to sleep in the nerve cell that allow you to feel in your skin. Jennifer Mathews: Doctor Micheal Oxman says shingles live silently in the body for years. It typically pops up over age 60. When it does, it comes with a vengeance. Micheal Oxman: Many women have said, it’s worse in child birth. Jennifer Mathews: Now researchers have a found a way to outsmart the virus with a vaccine. It’s a high potency version of the same vaccine used to prevent chicken pox in kids. Micheal Oxman: I really was pleasantly surprised at how much effect the vaccine had. Jennifer Mathews: So were patients in the study. The vaccine reduced their risk of shingles by more than 50%. Barbara Lester: Everybody I know, know somebody that have shingles. Jennifer Mathews: Barbara Lester had the vaccine and knows how lucky she is. Barbara Lester: My husband had shingles and he’s had the nerve pain twice and it’s very devastating. Jennifer Mathews: The vaccine is not guaranty protection. But even for those who got shingles despite the vaccine, the severity was reduced by 61%. It lower the risk of persistent never pain by 66%. Micheal Oxman: I would give it to all of my friends and patients who are 60 years of age or over and haven’t yet had shingles. Jennifer Mathews: For now, he’ll have to wait for FDA approval of the vaccine, which is expected some time next year. This is Jennifer Mathews reporting.