New Study Confirms Shingles Vaccine Is Safe and Effective

What do Amy Grant, Golda Meir, and Richard Nixon have in common? They all had shingles -- nerve inflammation caused by a reawakened chickenpox virus. (Once you've had chickenpox, the virus lurks, dormant, in your body). Also called herpes zoster, shingles starts with a burning or tingling sensation followed by a rash or blisters, usually on one side of your body. During and after an attack you may get excruciating nerve pain.

You can dodge that bullet. About a year ago we told you that the shingles vaccine was approved for people 50 and older, but only around 10% of people who are eligible for a shingles vaccination ever get it. We bet it's because of Internet buzz about safety concerns -- and the fact that most people aren't really aware that every third person in the U.S. gets shingles. That's more than 1 million cases a year.

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Good news! A massive study of almost 200,000 people shows that the live shingles vaccine poses no increased risk for cerebrovascular diseases, stroke, cardiovascular disease (heart attack), meningitis, encephalitis, encephalopathy, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, or Bell's palsy. It's safe and well tolerated. True, the vaccine doesn't protect you completely from shingles, but it reduces your risk by up to 70%. (The younger you are, the better the protection.) Plus, if you do end up with shingles, having been vaccinated makes the attack much milder, with less-severe post-infection pain.

Remember, there's little risk from the shingles vaccine, and a much bigger one from skipping it. Take a shot. It's a win-win situation.

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