Getting the chicken pox as a kid was an itchy annoyance, but it can turn intosomething much worse as an adult: shingles. The virus starts as spots similar to the chicken pox, but it comes with nerve pain that can linger for months afterwards, and in rare cases turn deadly.
Shingles are extremely common, and Americans have a one in three chance of developing the virus in their lifetime — even playwrightLin-Manuel Mirandahad them, after thinking he just had a migraine. Instead, the 38-year-old had to be quarantined from his then-2-month-old son.
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“The new vaccine is much more effective against preventing shingles and post-shingles pain — over 90 percent effective,” Dr. Schaffner says.
Plus, he adds, Shingrix’s protection has been shown to hold for the nine years they’ve studied it so far, “and probably beyond.”
And even a person develops shingles after getting the vaccine, it will “significantly reduce the severity of the disease,” Dr. Travis Stork, an ER physician, host ofThe Doctorsand a member ofPEOPLE’s Health Squad, tells PEOPLE.
AURORA, CO - February 10: The annual flu vaccine is drawn from the vile into the needle Saturday, February 7, 2015 at Crawford Kids Clinic in Aurora, Colorado. Luz Barajas and Carlos Cholcio brought their children, Carlos and Menserrat into the clinic for their annual flu shot. (Photo By Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The one downside is that the Shingrix shot is fairly painful, and doctors are worried that people willskip the vaccinationfor the sake of their arms.
“People should schedule their appointment for the Shingrix vaccine knowing that they’re going to have some pain in the area where they got the shot,” Dr. Kathleen Dooling, medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control, tells PEOPLE.
Dr. Schaffner emphasizes that the protection from the vaccine is very much worth the pain, especially for people over the age of 80 who have a one-third to one-half chance of developing shingles.
“Pain from a shot is transient. But shingles can be damaging,” he says. “The first episode of shingles can be really very damaging, particularly if it involves your face. And that post-shingles pain goes on for months; it’s debilitating. A sore arm is a small price to pay for 90 percent protection against shingles.”
source: people.com
