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What is shingles?

Shingles is a painful condition, often associated with a blistering rash typically occurring on one side of the body or face. The associated pain can be excruciating and potentially debilitating. The rash can last several weeks and shingles can result in serious complications such as skin infection, scarring, and long-term nerve pain.

Am I at risk?

Approximately 95% of Canadians have had chickenpox and are therefore at risk for shingles. This risk increases as we get older, especially over 50 years of age.

What are the complications of shingles?

Shingles can lead to potentially debilitating health complications. The pain associated with the rash has been described as burning, throbbing, stabbing or shooting pain. For most patients, this pain lessens as the rash heals. For some, however, shingles can cause severe pain for months or even years after the rash has healed. This long-term pain is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and it can interfere with normal day-to-day activities such as walking, sleeping, and social activities. For many people with PHN, even a breeze or the touch of clothing brushing against the skin can cause severe pain.

Other potentially serious complications from shingles include bacterial skin infections, scarring, a decrease or loss of hearing or vision, or muscle paralysis. Some people may need to be hospitalized and in rare cases shingles can even result in death.

What causes shingles?

Shingles, also known as zoster, is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once you've had chickenpox, the virus remains in your body but may stay inactive for years. If it becomes active again, it can cause shingles. It is known that the risk increases as we get older; however, there is no way to tell when the virus will become active again.

How can I help protect myself?

Until recently, there was no vaccine available to prevent shingles.

ZOSTAVAX™ is the only vaccine indicated to help prevent shingles in individuals 60 years of age or older.

The vaccine is given as a single dose injection and works by boosting your immune system to help protect you from shingles.

If you do get shingles even though you have been vaccinated, the shingles vaccine can also help reduce the intensity and duration of shingles pain.

ZOSTAVAX™ does not protect everyone who gets the vaccine and cannot be used to treat shingles or the pain associated with it once you have shingles.

You should not get the shingles vaccine if you are allergic to any of its ingredients, including gelatin or neomycin, have a blood disorder or any type of cancer that weakens your immune system, or already have a weakened immune system, have active untreated tuberculosis, or if you are pregnant.

Most common side effects were at the injection site and included redness, pain, itching, swelling, warmth, and bruising. Headache was also reported.

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