Shingles Vaccination
- The Shingles vaccine is used to prevent shingles and nerve pain (neuralgia) after having shingles.
- It is used in clients 50 years or older only.
- Shingles is a condition associated with a painful, blistering rash. It is caused by the reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox (herpes zoster). Generally the blistering rash occurs in one part of the body. It can result in persistent pain at the site of the blisters and scarring. Once you have had chickenpox, the virus (herpes zoster) stays in your body within the nerve cells. The virus can then become active once more, generally during times of body stress or infection.
- The Illness: Before the onset of the rash you may experience itching and pain around the site to be affected. The rash itself begins as red spots which over the course of around a week develop into blisters and can take up to 4 weeks to heal. The most common area of skin affected is the lower chest areas.
- Treatment: Anti-viral medications can be prescribed if diagnosed in the early stages to reach the duration and severity of an attack. Single dose, administered in the upper arm. *It cannot be used to treat active shingles or those with pain from existing shingles.