Browse by topic Show
Question: I have had shingles disease. Do I still need to get the vaccine? How long should I wait between having shingles disease and getting the vaccine? Answer: The antibodies created after having shingles infection decrease over time; your chances of getting shingles increase as you get older. Having shingles disease once doesn’t protect you from ever having it again. After causing shingles, the herpes zoster virus goes back to sleep inside your nerves; it can still flare up again and cause another outbreak of shingles. The shingles vaccine is recommended one year after having a case of shingles to give longer-lasting protection against the disease and nerve pain. Read more about shingles. What are shingles vaccines?There are 2 vaccines, Shingrix® and Zostavax® II, that protect against shingles. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Zostavax® II contains a weakened form of the virus while Shingrix® contains only a part of the virus. Who should get the shingles vaccine?Shingrix
Zostavax II
Talk with your health care provider if you have questions about the shingles vaccines. What are the benefits of the shingles vaccine?The shingles vaccines are the best way to protect you from getting shingles. The vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of getting shingles by 50% for Zostavax® II, and to more than 90% for Shingrix®. For those who still get shingles after being immunized, the vaccines can reduce pain, including the type of pain that lasts after shingles. What are the side effects?The shingles vaccines are very safe. Common side effects to the vaccines include headache as well as soreness, redness and swelling where the vaccine was given. Itching and a rash may also occur after getting Zostavax® II. Other reactions that may occur after getting Shingrix® include fever, muscle soreness, fatigue, shivering, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It is important to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after getting any vaccine because there is an extremely rare possibility of anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening allergic reaction. This may include hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, tongue, or lips. The chance of true anaphylaxis is about 1 in 1 million vaccine doses. Should this reaction occur, your health care provider is prepared to treat it. Emergency treatment includes administration of epinephrine (adrenaline) and transfer by ambulance to the nearest emergency department. If symptoms develop after you leave the clinic, call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number. Learn more about anaphylaxis on our vaccine side effects page. It is important to always report serious or unexpected reactions to your health care provider. Where can I learn more?
About shingles
Did you know?About 1 in 5 people who get shingles may have severe nerve pain that lasts months to years after the rash has cleared. This is known as post-herpetic neuralgia. Does the shingles vaccine work if you've already had shingles?If you had shingles in the past, Shingrix can help prevent future occurrences of the disease. There is no specific length of time that you need to wait after having shingles before you can receive Shingrix, but generally you should make sure the shingles rash has gone away before getting vaccinated.
Should someone who had shingles still get the vaccine?Recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV, Shingrix), has been in use since 2017 and is recommended by ACIP as the preferred shingles vaccine. Even if you have had shingles, you can still receive shingles vaccine to help prevent future occurrences of the disease.
What are the odds of getting shingles twice?"The risk of getting shingles again, once you already have it, is about one in three," says Barbara Yawn, MD, director of research at Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minn. "That's about the same chance of getting shingles once in your lifetime."
What causes shingles to flare up again?Stress, some medications, and certain health conditions can reactivate the virus and trigger the symptoms of shingles. When shingles occurs more than once, doctors refer to it as recurrent shingles. Recurrent shingles is more common among people with a compromised immune system.
|