Shingles is also known as zoster herpes or zoster and a vaccine is available to seniors called Zostavax. It just became available in Canada in September 2009, but it’s been offered in the US for a couple of years.
Is the Shingles Vaccine Safe?
The Food and Drug Administration in the US approved the shingles vaccine in 2006. Health Canada also considers the vaccine safe and approved the use of the vaccine in 2008. Studies continue to be conducted and both agencies are keeping tabs on the safety of the vaccine.
How are Shingles Connected to the Chickenpox?
The virus that causes chickenpox is the same virus that causes shingles. It’s called the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Once someone gets this virus, it never goes away, as is the case with any virus. So once someone gets the chickenpox, he is at risk of developing shingles.
The virus lies dormant in nerve cells and can become active at any time. With shingles, the risk of getting the infection increases with age. When a person’s immune system is weakened, he or she is also more at risk of developing herpes zoster. Not everyone who gets the chickenpox goes on to have shingles.
How Does the Shingles Vaccine Work?
The Zostavax vaccine contains a form of the VZV virus that has been weakened, this is also called attenuated. Once someone gets the vaccination, the body’s immune system will respond to the virus and this is what helps protect against getting shingles.
What is in the Shingles Vaccine?
The Active Ingredients
- Varicella zoster virus, Oka/Merck strain (live, attenuated)
Other Ingredients
- Sucrose 31.16 mg
- Hydrolyzed gelatin 15.58 mg
- Sodium chloride 3.99 mg
- Monosodium L-glutamate monohydrate 0.62 mg
- Sodium phosphate dibasic 0.57 mg
- Potassium phosphate monobasic 0.10 mg
- Potassium Chloride 0.10 mg
There is no thimerosol or any other preservatives in the vaccine, and sterile water is supplied for the injection. In the manufacturing process there could be traces amounts of neomycin and bovine calf serum. There are also residual components of MRC-5 cells in the vaccine.
How Many Injections are Needed for the Shingles Vaccine?
All that is needed is one shot. The single dose is a small vial that is about 0.65 ml.
Herpes Zoster Vaccine Doesn’t Treat Shingles
If someone is suffering from shingles, this vaccine will not help alleviate the symptoms. It’s a vaccination to help protect someone from getting the illness, not for reducing pain or getting rid of a rash for someone who currently has shingles. If a person gets the vaccination and still ends up developing herpes zoster, then he or she should speak to a doctor. Merck Frosst suggests that in such cases, the current standard of drug treatment and care should be looked into.
Can Getting the Vaccine Cause Others to get Shingles or Chickenpox?
The chickenpox virus is in the shingles vaccine, but it is a weakened form. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that a person who receives the Zostavax injection is able to safely interact with at risk groups such as babies, young children, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems. There has been no documented case yet of a person who had the shingles vaccine who then gave someone else the chickenpox.
Some people might react to the vaccine by getting a rash, the CDC recommends covering the area until the rash goes away.
For information on the side effects, effectiveness and how long the herpes zoster vaccine lasts, read Shingles Vaccine for Seniors. To find out more about who can and can't have the vaccine, read Who Should Get the Shingles Vaccine?
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vaccines and Preventable Diseases: Herpes Zoster Vaccine Q&A (Shingles), May 2009.
Merck Frosst, Product Monograph: Zostavax, August 5, 2009.
Merck Frosst, Merck Frosst’s Zostavax Now Available in Canada, September 22, 2009.
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