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It really isn't a cost issue and the rationale behind why insurance won't pay for the shingles vaccine until age 60 actually makes good clinical sense..
While anyone can get shingles at any time if they have been exposed to chicken pox or received varicella vaccine as a child, the peak ages to develop shingles are late 50s to 60's....
The vaccine is only effective for 5-8 years and there is currently no "booster" program...
So if you get the vaccine in your 30's protection will wane before 40 and you won't be protected when you really need it...
It is likely that boosters will be available in the near future which will probably drive down the initial vaccine age to around 50
This is good information.
Question for you (or anyone else who might know, like Katrina): do you happen to know how long the Chicken Pox vaccine works? Is it a lifetime prevention vaccine, or do you need boosters with that as well?
The reason why kids don't get chicken pox anymore is because they are vaccinated against it.
Yes, I've heard. So for now, if you had chicken pox as a kid, you can pretty much expect an episode of shingles sometime in your life. Unless "re-exposed" (or vaccinated), immunity lasts an average of 25 - 35 years or so for most.
Lack of periodic exposure to a kid with chicken pox is a risk factor for shingles no matter how old you are over about 30. Shingles is increasing because more people are nulliparous than ever before and hence, never get exposure from a kid as an adult; too few kids even get chicken pox anymore (I don't know why - it's very benign, not like measles)
Are you suggesting that being exposed to someone with Chicken Pox is what causes Shingles?
I always thought that you had to have had Chicken Pox yourself at some point in order to get Shingles later on.
In other words, you can't get Shingles if you never had Chicken Pox yourself.
Just want to clarify this as your post is a little confusing to me.
Lack of periodic exposure to a kid with chicken pox is a risk factor for shingles no matter how old you are over about 30. Shingles is increasing because more people are nulliparous than ever before and hence, never get exposure from a kid as an adult; too few kids even get chicken pox anymore (I don't know why - it's very benign, not like measles); and then, people are living past 60 or so - the age above which shingles has always been more prevalent - particularly in old single people who never had kids.
Shingles is increasing even in countries that do not routinely vaccinate against chickenpox. No one knows why, but re-exposure to the virus is not preventing it.
"Chickenpox used to be very common in the United States. In the early 1990s, an average of 4 million people got varicella, 10,500 to 13,000 were hospitalized (range, 8,000 to 18,000), and 100 to 150 died each year."
Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieSD
This is good information.
Question for you (or anyone else who might know, like Katrina): do you happen to know how long the Chicken Pox vaccine works? Is it a lifetime prevention vaccine, or do you need boosters with that as well?
At this point two doses appear to provide long lasting immunity and no adult booster is recommended.This study was done over fourteen years. One dose prevented moderate to severe disease; there were no cases after two doses.
Herd immunity is in play, which protects babies too young to be vaccinated.
Yes, I've heard. So for now, if you had chicken pox as a kid, you can pretty much expect an episode of shingles sometime in your life. Unless "re-exposed" (or vaccinated), immunity lasts an average of 25 - 35 years or so for most.
Not everyone gets shingles. There is about a 50% chance of having it if you live to age 85.
Are you suggesting that being exposed to someone with Chicken Pox is what causes Shingles?
I always thought that you had to have had Chicken Pox yourself at some point in order to get Shingles later on.
In other words, you can't get Shingles if you never had Chicken Pox yourself.
Just want to clarify this as your post is a little confusing to me.
You are correct. You have to have had a chickenpox infection in order to develop shingles. Some people may not have many symptoms from the original infection and may not know they had ever had it until they develop shingles.
Therefore, you will not get shingles from exposure to someone with chickenpox. If you have never had chickenpox and you are exposed you may get chickenpox. It is, however, possible to catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you are susceptible to the virus and are exposed to fluid from the shingles blisters.
Anyone over the age of 60 is a candidate for the shingles vaccine whether he remembers having chickenpox or not. It is not necessary to do any testing to confirm prior infection.
So you had shingles and your friend had the vaccination and got it twice that year....is that right?
Did you have the vaccination?
I talked about my friend who had shingles at 70 and I don't know if she had vaccination or not, she may have as she is very conventional med in her health and thinking.
I did not have the vaccination. I have had some very painful post herpetic pain since the shingles in February.
Folks, look up Shingrix, a new shingles vaccine by Glaxo-Smith-Kline. It's supposed to be much more effective than Zostrex and can be taken by those who had that older vaccination more than five years before. Shingrix may receive final FDA approval in October, 2017. I hope it will be approved and covered for most people, regardless of age. It doesn't use an attenuated virus, like Zostrex, bu rather stimulates the immune system to produce antigens that fight the virus that causes shingles.
I never had a trace of shingles, until two months after I took Zostrex. It's gradually diminished in frequency and severity, but never was more than moderately bad for me.
After reading all these shingles cases, I start to feel itchy, so for own good I'm back to taking Lysine daily and posted in Alt Med about prevention/treatment and Lysine.
I got shingles every few months for a total of about 5 times when I was working a super stressful job. Each time I got the prescription (Valacyclavir) within 3 days of noticing the nerve pain and/or rash and avoided progression to a bad rash. The first time the shoulder nerve pain was terrible and kept me awake. It all stopped after I retired last year.
In my previous post about the new Shingrix vaccination that may be approved soon, I referred to the older vaccination Zostavax by the incorrect name "Zostrex", In fact, Zostrex is a topical ointment for relieving the pain of shingles, but not a vaccine.
Are you suggesting that being exposed to someone with Chicken Pox is what causes Shingles?
I always thought that you had to have had Chicken Pox yourself at some point in order to get Shingles later on.
In other words, you can't get Shingles if you never had Chicken Pox yourself.
Just want to clarify this as your post is a little confusing to me.
That's how you contract chicken pox yourself------by being exposed to someone who has it. Those beyond childhood may have more natural immunity against contracting it, but some still catch it, if not vaccinated and exposed.
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Correction
