Shingles is a painful, sometimes itchy skin rash with blisters. It is also called Herpes Zoster. Only someone who has had chickenpox can get shingles. A shingles rash usually appears on one side of the body and lasts from 2-4 weeks.
Chickenpox is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus, this virus stays in your body and can cause shingles many years later. You cannot catch shingles from another person with shingles, but if you have never had chicken pox you can get chicken pox from someone with shingles. Shingles is more common in people over the age of 50, and people whose immune system is weakened because of a disease such as cancer or certain drugs like chemotherapy.
In 2006, a vaccine was licensed for shingles. A single dose is recommended by the CDC for adults age 60 and older. The vaccine reduces the risk of shingles by 50% and can reduce pain in individuals who still get shingles after being vaccinated.
Dr. Anne Hermann, a holistic internal medicine physician, located in Tampa, is happy to offer this vaccine to her patients. Self pay pricing is competitive with the national pharmacy chains at approximately $250.00 . However, insurance and medicare will often cover all or a portion of the vaccine cost. Please contact the office at (813) 902-9559 for more information.
This post was written by Anne Hermann. Follow Anne Hermann on Google, Facebook, Twitter & Linkedin.