Adults over 60 to get Shingles vaccine shot

CDC- the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has advised that adults who are 60 years and above of age should take the vaccination for Shingles, the painful skin rash. The agency’s advisory committee on immunization has recommended, Merk & Co. manufactured Zostavax vaccine for the disease in the elderly.

Ever since the approval of the vaccine, more than 50,000 physicians' offices, pharmacies and public health clinics have ordered Zostavax according to a statement released by Merk. The news not only improved sales but also pushed up the stocks of the company on NYSE by 11 cents to trade at $39.94.

Shingles or Herpes Zoster is mainly a viral infection, which occurs as a follow-up of chicken pox although it might occur years later. It can happen to one in four persons in the age group of above 60 and over 43 million Americans are said to be at risk for this disease, which manifests itself in the form of blisters and painful rash all over the body.

"It is a nasty, life-altering affliction. Although the vaccine is not perfect, it's pretty good," Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, vice president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said in a telephone interview.

"The pain can be mild to very severe. The rash illness itself can be on any part of the body. It's usually on the trunk, but can be on the face - in which case it can involve the eyes and so it can threaten vision," Schaffner said.

Zostavax is the only vaccine available for shingles, which is a very painful disease. The virus- varicella zoster which causes chickenpox in young age does not get eliminated from the body, instead it remains dormant for years and as a person grows older the risks of this virus becoming active again increase.

However, this vaccine manufactured by Merk. & Co. is said to reduce the risks of Shingles up to 64% in the age band of 60-69 years. Since no known cure is available for shingles, which once sets in takes at least two weeks to subside, with the pain lingering for months together, it is advisable to take the one shot vaccination to avoid it at best.

Certain other important facts about the vaccine are-

• The government’s Medicare and Part D prescription drug benefit and health plans have made Zostavax eligible for reimbursement.

• More than 94% of private health insurance plans have also approved reimbursement for the vaccine.

• Not only that, Zostavax is part of Merk’s Vaccine Patient Assistance Programme in US and would thus be available for free, to those who can not pay for it.