OT: Shingles vaccine hoopla

Can't watch TV without seeing an ad for Shingles vaccine. My own doc recommended I get it because CDC has recommended for adults 60-69, age group most likely to suffer.
but my doctor also told me that the vaccine only reduces your chances of getting Shingles by 50%. Half of us rolling up our sleeves will still get it and the pockets of big drug company sky rockets as the ads scare us into submitting. I was curious about the clinical trials on the vaccine found an interesting fact. 3.8% of unvaccinated subjects got Shingles and 1.7% of vaccinated got Shingles. So that is where the 50% "protection" comes from. According to ads 1 in 3 people will have Shingles in their lifetime.

Shingles is not something I want to suffer. My doctor told me outcome of two of his patients. One lost vision in one eye and another suffers chronic facial pain from Shingles neuropathy. There are some pretty ugly photos of Shingles on the internet. But if only 3.8% got it without vaccination in their trials, what is the REAL risk of me getting it. It certainly isn't 1 in 3 because that over one's lifetime. I know a lot of adults in the 60-69 age group and no one has had Shingles. I think the CDC and FDA are bed with the drug company to recommend mass vaccination when it is only 50% effective in preventing it. Should a vaccine that is only 50% effective even be approved by FDA? I can't think of any vaccine with that low effectiveness ever on the market.

And the clinical trials done was on people 50-59, a group the CDC does not even recommend to receive it.

There are numerous anedotal stories written by people getting Shingles very soon after getting the vaccination. And numerous others described debilitating reactions at:

http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/rxlis ... 144377_pem

The vaccine is new with only one clinical trial. Do we even know the long term effectiveness? Does the vaccine protect half of us for 5 years? 10 Years? Will we have to receive ongoing vaccinations for continued protection? There is no data on longevity of 50% protection. Am I ready to roll up my sleeve for a vaccine for 50% reduction in my risk for unknown period of time? I would rather wait for the "improved" version that is likely in the works already.

3.8% unvaccinated people got shingles in the trial. The trial only lasted a couple of years. Over a lifetime that number could easily be 33% (1 in 3 people). Getting the vaccine halves the risk. What does the shot cost, $200? $250? It is up to you to decide. It is also possible that getting the vaccine will reduce the severity of shingle which could be well worth any cost.

My son had chickenpox twice after receiving the vaccine, both case were quite mild. I am glad we opted for the vaccine.

I don't know about all of that, but I had my shot in December. My wife had hers a year or two before. But, last Fall, her sister got the Shingles (never vaccinated) and has been miserable since. I've also known of others over the years who have gotten it.

It ain't nothin' I want to risk getting. I've been urging other friends and relatives to get the shot, too.

Edit: Since I had already gone through the "doughnut hole" with my Medicare Part D, my shot only cost $9.77.


Den

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I've taken care of people with shingles and any chance of avoiding that I'll take. With the statistics you also have to remember that only people who have had chickenpox need the vaccine. My insurance covered the cost of the vaccine for me so it was an easy choice.

I've had both shingles and the shingles vaccine after I had shingles. My experience with shingles wasn't as bad as I've seen on the TV commercials. I caught it early on and got acyclovir. Which really moderated things in my case. And I'm hoping that the vaccine may help prevent a second round of shingles, although the likelihood of that is less, and my stress level is lower these days. But I'd really rather not experience that again, so if I can avoid it, that would be fine *smile*. Time will tell.

Another problem (which probably reason for low effectiveness) is that the Merck vaccine only includes certain strains of the zoster virus. There are documented "wild strains" where people got shingles after vaccination because the vaccination doesn't include all known strains. Just like flu vaccine. It only includes the flu viruses that the CDC predicts will be the most prominent in next flu season.

Acute pancreatitis has been reported as adverse reaction to Zostavax.

I am unsure whether I had chicken pox as a child. My mother said I was 6 months old when I had it and only had 3 pox. Maybe an extremely mild case or maybe almost immune from mother's breast milk. CDC is recommending it even if you DIDN'T have chicken pox.

Those of you who are glad you got the vaccine still don't know if you are the 50% that won't get anyway or you could still get it. Immune studies show sharp decrease in antibodies against Zoster after 2 years of vaccination.

I remember when I got chickenpox... last 3 weeks of 1st grade. I had a really bad case of it.

Daughter had a decent case but my son had a very mild case as if he really didn't. Both while we were house hunting..

I got vaccinated last summer. No cost to me as it falls under preventive medicine. I paid more than my share of costs last year with a $3000 deductible we never met, so no guilt here the insurance picked up a $200 injection.

I don't see a lot of down-side to this. I'm all into cutting my odds of dealing with Shingles. Since Shingles is not contagious, what you do is your own decision. It doesn't hurt anyone but yourself if you choose not to vaccinate. Free will baby!

It is my understanding from a former co-worker that while the vaccine doesn't completely protect against getting Shingles, if you do, the outbreak wouldn't be nearly as bad as if you hadn't received it. After seeing my mother suffer greatly from it, I intend to get the vaccine as soon as I can.

Sounds similar to the hoopla that's been expressed over the years about the flu vaccine. Then the H1N1 vaccine

After watching 2 people, in they're 30s, get shingles I cant imagine older people going through it. When I get older I will get the vaccine. I do know I had chicken pox. I still have scars from it

My wife had shingles on her face...it was not pretty. After that, we both got our shots...It's been almost 3 years. No side effects.

VikingGnome wrote:Another problem (which probably reason for low effectiveness) is that the Merck vaccine only includes certain strains of the zoster virus. There are documented "wild strains" where people got shingles after vaccination because the vaccination doesn't include all known strains. Just like flu vaccine. It only includes the flu viruses that the CDC predicts will be the most prominent in next flu season.

Acute pancreatitis has been reported as adverse reaction to Zostavax.

I am unsure whether I had chicken pox as a child. My mother said I was 6 months old when I had it and only had 3 pox. Maybe an extremely mild case or maybe almost immune from mother's breast milk. CDC is recommending it even if you DIDN'T have chicken pox.

Those of you who are glad you got the vaccine still don't know if you are the 50% that won't get anyway or you could still get it. Immune studies show sharp decrease in antibodies against Zoster after 2 years of vaccination.

Based on your logic, I suppose that you never had you children vaccinated for measles either. I'm guessing that you don't get the flu vaccine yearly either.

Vaccines are probably the most highly studied class of medications there has ever been. The safety and efficacy of vaccines has been demonstrably proven ad nauseum.

The Shingles vaccine is not like the flu vaccine as you have compared because the Shingles virus is not an RNA virus. That means that unlike the flu virus, it's outer envelope of proteins is not constantly changing to adapt to the environment and to increase its virulence. That is an evolutionary trait of RNA viruses. Since you aren't dealing with that in the Shingles virus, you can rest assured that the vaccine you get this year will continue to be just as effective in following years.

As for the efficacy rate, why throw the baby out with the bath water? 50% reduction is still a 50% reduction. Would you play the lottery if you knew you had a 50% chance of winning? Or would you reject it because you have a 50% chance of losing?

Since this is a resurgence of a virus that has lingered in your body, you aren't actively contagious. Meaning, the only person you are hurting by not getting vaccinated is yourself. I can think of other viruses I'd rather deal with than Shingles. Give me the flu any day over that. YMMV

Additionally, I would like to know your source for your claim that the Shingles vaccine can cause pancreatitis. The only example of that I can find is a case study of an immunocompromised person whose doctors suggest a correlation, not necessarily causation, between getting the Shingles shot and an episode of pancreatitis. That hardly makes it a side effect to worry about for the general population.

The most common side effects from the Shingles shot is redness and swelling at the injection site. Some people experience a mild rash as it is a live attenuated virus. But here is what you can expect if you do get Shingles:

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and- ... at-happens

Based on the wording of your post and replies, and from my own experience of being anti-vaccination myself years ago, I know that there probably isn't anything we can say to change your mind.