As a child, odds are you had chicken pox – a viral infection with
acute, but short-lived, side effects caused by the varicella zoster
virus.
Once chicken pox resolved itself, the symptoms disappeared, but the
virus stayed dormant in your system. This virus can come back years
later to cause shingles (a.k.a. zona, or herpes zoster) – a severe
and painful rash with blisters that is limited to an area on one side
of the body; often presenting itself in the form of a stripe.
Shingles is a painful condition which can last for 2 to 4 weeks before
resolving itself, but for more than half of shingles sufferers over
the age of 60, shingles can progress into post-herpetic neuralgia,
which may cause residual nerve pain that may last for months or even
years.
New Shingles Vaccination
Merck Frosst has developed a new vaccine called
Zostavax which has been shown to reduce the incidence of shingles
in individuals over 60 years of age by 51 per cent.
Additionally, for those who are vaccinated and develop shingles later
on, Zostavax reduces the incidence of severe and long-lasting zoster-associated
pain by 73 per cent compared with those who do not get vaccinated.
Who Should Get the Shingles Vaccine?
Men and women over 60 years of age who have had
chicken pox in the past.
Zostavax is not covered by Medicare.
Call us now to get zostavax, the shingles vaccine,
in Calgary:
(403) 232-6244.