Allamakee Public Health promotes shingles prevention for Iowans 50 years and older
Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Community and Home Care-Allamakee Public Health and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) are working together to raise awareness about shingles (herpes zoster virus) and the vaccine that helps prevent it. Shingles is a viral infection that affects one in three people during their lifetimes, causing a painful rash that can lead to chronic nerve pain, vision loss and other serious health problems. Despite these risks, many people don’t know that shingles is preventable.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which stays dormant in the nervous system after someone recovers from chickenpox. Years later, the virus can reactivate as shingles, resulting in a blistering rash on one side of the face or body. While most cases resolve in three to five weeks, shingles can return. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in 10 people who get shingles also suffer from postherpetic neuralgia, a type of nerve pain that can last for months or even years.
“Shingles might be unpredictable, but preventing it doesn’t have to be,” said Sheryl Darling-Mooney, Allamakee Public Health Supervisor. “The shingles vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect against this painful and sometimes disabling disease, especially for people age 50 and older who are at higher risk for serious complications, such as blindness, pneumonia and hearing problems.”
About the Shingles Vaccine
The shingles vaccine is safe and prevents the virus and its complications. The CDC reports the vaccine is more than 90% effective for adults 50 and older with healthy immune systems.
Iowans are encouraged to talk to their healthcare providers about staying up to date on vaccinations. The shingles vaccine is recommended for the following people:
• All adults 50 and older
• Adults 19 and older with weakened immune systems
• Anyone who has had chickenpox or shingles
• Those who received a chickenpox vaccine
• Those who previously received the now-discontinued Zostavax vaccine.
The CDC recommends two doses of the shingles vaccine, with the second dose given one to two months after the first.
For more information about shingles, or to schedule a shingles vaccine, call Allamakee Public Health at 563-568-5660. Allamakee Public Health is located within Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care on the third floor of the hospital.
