News you can use: Shingles vaccine

According to our doctor, anyone over the age of 60 who has had chicken pox should get the shingles vaccine. If you had chicken pox, you still harbor the virus and it can emerge later in life as shingles.
It's an itchy, inflamed rash that usually covers the torso. It can linger for weeks, and there's no cure.
Medical term for shingles is herpes zoster.

In one third of shingles sufferers the condition develops into post-herpetic neuralgia which can be very painful and persistent for months or years. An acquaintance has had it for three years. She can barely stand to have anything touching her torso.

The vaccine is Zoster vaccine or ZOSTAVAX.
It ain't cheap. Full cost with no insurance was $220 at Walgreens.
My part D insurance covered $145 of it.
In our small town, Walgreens was the only pharmacy that had Zostavax.
They also administered the injection.
It's just a sub-cutaneous skin pop. Not painful.

Although our doc wrote a prescription for us, the pharmacist said anyone 60 or over can get it without a scrip.

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