New shingles vaccine provides better protection for seniors

Dear Savvy Senior: A friend of mine got a bad case of shingles last year and has been urging me to get vaccinated. Should I? — Suspicious Susan

Dear Susan: Yes! If you’re 50 or older, there’s a new shingles vaccine on the market that’s far superior to the older vaccine, so now is a great time to get inoculated.

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a burning, blistering, often excruciating skin rash that affects around 1 million Americans yearly. The same virus that causes chickenpox causes shingles. The chickenpox virus never leaves the body, but hides in the nerve cells near the spinal cord and, for some people, emerges later as shingles.

In the U.S., almost one out of every three people will develop shingles. While anyone who’s had chickenpox can get shingles, it most commonly occurs in people over age 50, along with people who have weakened immune systems. But you can’t catch shingles from someone else.

Early signs of the disease include pain, itching or tingling before a blistering rash appears several days later, and can last up to four weeks. The rash typically occurs on one side of the body, often as a band of blisters that extends from the middle of your back around to the breastbone. It can also appear above an eye or on the side of the face or neck.

In addition to the rash, about 20 to 25 percent of those who get shingles go on to develop severe nerve pain (postherpetic neuralgia) that can last for months or even years. And in rare cases, shingles can cause strokes, encephalitis, spinal cord damage and vision loss.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new vaccine for shingles called Shingrix (Shingrix.com), which provides much better protection than the older vaccine, Zostavax. Manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, Shingrix is 97 percent effective in preventing shingles in people 50 to 69 years old, and 91 percent effective in those 70 and older.

By comparison, Zostavax is 70 percent effective in your 50s; 64 percent effective in your 60s; 41 percent effective in your 70s; and 18 percent effective in your 80s.

Shingrix is also better that Zostavax in preventing nerve pain that continues after a shingles rash has cleared — about 90 percent versus 65 percent effective.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone age 50 and older, receive the Shingrix vaccine, which is given in two doses, two to six months apart.

Even if you’ve already had shingles or been vaccinated with Zostavax, you still need the Shingrix vaccinations.

Shingrix can cause some adverse side effects for some people, including muscle pain, fatigue, headache, fever and upset stomach.

Shingrix costs around $280 for both doses and insurance coverage varies so call your plan to find out details.

If you don’t have health insurance or you’re experiencing medical or financial hardship, you might qualify for GlaxoSmithKline’s Patient Assistance Program, which provides free vaccinations to those who are eligible. For details, go to GSKforyou.com.

Jim Miller is a contributor to NBC-TV’s “Today” program and author of “The Savvy Senior.” Send your questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070; or visit savvysenior.org.