Skyline Happenings

Ed Note: “Shingles, which is also called herpes zoster, occurs when the chickenpox virus (varicella zoster), which is dormant in those who’ve had the illness, reawakens later in life. Almost all adults over age 40 carry the chickenpox virus—and the older we get, the more the risk of getting shingles climbs. According to the CDC, the infection strikes about 1 million people in the U.S. each year and nearly one in three adults will experience a bout of shingles in their lifetime.” I’ve had a bout, but fortunately it responded rapidly to anti-viral meds.

The two to four weeks of shingles, marked by a blistery and painful rash on one side of the body, can be difficult enough. But about one in five people with shingles go on to develop postherpetic neuralgia, or PHN, which is nerve pain that can linger for months or even years. The virus is dormant in a skin nerve site in the spinal cord. As the virus descends down the nerve it initially causes pain (at times mimicking a heart attack) before the blistering rash appears.

Residents have asked me for more information. There’s plenty on-line and in Consumer Reports. Please discuss this information with your medical provider. According to the NYT, the FDA committee vote for approval was 8 to 7, not a ringing endorsement. The downside is more frequent side effects with Shingrix – fever and muscle aches and headaches lasting up to 3 days. It also requires two shots instead of one for Zostavax. Your choice!

(CNN)A new adult vaccine has received a double thumbs-up from the American federal health system.