As a child, odds are you had chicken pox – a viral
infection with acute, but short-lived, side effects caused by the
varicella zoster virus.
Once chicken pox resolved itself, the symptoms
disappeared, but the virus stayed dormant in your system. This virus
can come back years later to cause shingles (a.k.a. zona, or herpes
zoster) – a severe and painful rash with blisters that is limited
to an area on one side of the body; often presenting itself in the
form of a stripe.
Shingles is a painful condition which can last
for 2 to 4 weeks before resolving itself, but for more than half of
shingles sufferers over the age of 60, shingles can progress into
post-herpetic neuralgia, which may cause residual nerve pain that
may last for months or even years.
New Shingles Vaccination
Merck Frosst has developed a new vaccine called
Zostavax which has been shown to reduce the incidence of shingles
in individuals over 60 years of age by 51 per cent.
Additionally, for those who are vaccinated and
develop shingles later on, Zostavax reduces the incidence of severe
and long-lasting zoster-associated pain by 73 per cent compared with
those who do not get vaccinated.
Who Should Get the Shingles Vaccine?
Men and women over 60 years of age who have had
chicken pox in the past.
Zostavax is not covered by Medicare.
Call us now to get Zostavax, the shingles vaccine,
in Ottawa:
(613) 521-8313.