A new shingles vaccine shows promise. As a former chicken pox victim with the scars to prove it (they're small and virtually unnoticeable except to me), this is good news. The virus which causes chicken pox sits idle for 50 years or so and then bursts out to cause shingles, and that's one painful disease. I hope this works, and if you've ever had the pox, you should hope so too.
It is estimated that more than one million people develop shingles in the United States each year, with both the prevalence and severity of the disease rising as people age. About half the cases each year are in people over 60, so widespread use of the vaccine in that age group could prevent 250,000 cases a year, said Dr. Oxman, an infectious disease specialist at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and the University of California, San Diego.
The vaccine may be approved by February.
Posted by Linkmeister at June 3, 2005 12:01 AMI remember getting my chickenpox late; senior year in high school (fortunately for me, it was a mild case). How old were you when you had yours?
Posted by: Keith at June 3, 2005 08:36 PMA lot younger; probably pre-school or kindergarten. It's a lot more dangerous for adults, so you were lucky.
Posted by: Linkmeister at June 3, 2005 09:05 PMI got shingles when I was in my late 40's. I was under stress with the thought of going on dialysis.
One dermatologist told me to put Calamine lotion on it, because he didn't know what it was...
Ah, medical progress....
Not only shingles, but have you ever heard of zoster? It's like poison ivy. I've had it twice, during times of stress. Doc said it was from the same chicken pox virus that lives in the spinal cord and rises to wreck havoc every now and then.
I'd like a vaccine please.
Posted by: KathyF at June 6, 2005 12:18 PMBesides my own bout with chicken pox, my dad once had a very mild case of shingles (just the rash, as I recall); he was in serious pain. I'll take a shot anytime.
Posted by: Linkmeister at June 6, 2005 12:29 PM