New shingles vaccine good news for aging population

Ever hear of a vaccine to protect you from the effects of another vaccine? Some folks think the chicken pox vaccine your grandkids receive might raise your risk for shingles. Others believe a boost in shingles cases is due to an aging population. Either way, the new shingles vaccine is a real boon for aging baby boomers.

"Shingles is becoming more of a problem simply because it becomes a greater problem as people get older," observed William D. Rhoades, chief of geriatrics at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital's Nesset Geriatrics. "Anything we can do to lower the risk for this nasty disease is a plus."

But one study co-authored by W. Katherine Yih reveals that while the incidence of chicken pox decreased by 79 percent between 1998 and 2003, the occurrence of herpes zoster, or shingles, increased more than 90 percent for people between the ages of 25 and 44 and for those older than 65.

It turns out being exposed to chicken pox gives a natural immunity boost to our systems, helping prevent a shingles outbreak.

The connection should come as no surprise. Chicken pox and shingles belong to the same family: the varicella zoster virus. Once you have chicken pox, the virus lies dormant in nerve tissue until it's activated by emotional or physical stress -- or something as common as a cold -- and reappears as shingles.

More than 500,000 Americans get shingles every year. It's believed that older adults' compromised immune systems puts them at an increased risk for shingles. About 20 percent of people who have had chicken pox eventually will get shingles. Anyone older than age 85 has a 50 percent chance of getting shingles.

Known as St. Anthony's fire in Italy, shingles begins as pain or itching on one side of the body, then a rash that blisters and crusts over. It can erupt in the eye and if left untreated, cause blindness. The virus is present at the site of the rash and is contagious for a week after it appears.

Shingles can cause debilitating pain -- called post-herpetic neuralgia -- that can last for months. Exposure to the disease won't give you shingles but might give you chicken pox. You can't catch shingles from someone else.

"You catch it from yourself," Rhoades explained. "The problem lies within your own immunity system."

Anyone who's seen shingles up close will tell you a vaccine that decreases your chance of getting it is worth it. Zostavax, developed by Merck, was approved in 2006 and reduces the risk by 51 percent and the risk for post-herpetic neuralgia by 67 percent, reported this month's Harvard Women's Health Watch newsletter.

Recommended for all adults over age 60 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccine is not covered by Medicare and can be expensive -- between $150 and $200. Some insurance plans cover it. You must have a prescription from your physician, but the chances of receiving the vaccine in your doctor's office is slim since Zostavax needs to be stored in a freezer and injected within 30 minutes after it is mixed. Some Osco and Dominick pharmacies carry the vaccine.

The Harvard Women's Health Watch newsletter recommends that you should not receive the shingles vaccine if you have shingles or post-herpetic neuralgia; have a fever of 101 degrees or higher; are allergic to a component of the vaccine, especially neomycin or gelatin; have leukemia, lymphoma or cancer that affects the bone marrow or lymphatic system; have an immunodeficiency disease, including HIV or AIDS; are receiving high doses of immuno-suppressive treatments, including chemo, steroids or radiation therapy; or have active, untreated tuberculosis.