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Shingles Vaccine

What is Shingles?

Shingles happens when the virus that causes chickenpox (varicella) reactivates in the bodies of people who had it earlier in their lives. It causes a painful rash to develop on either side of the body and can lead to serious complications like PHN (postherpetic neuralgia). PHN occurs in 10-18% of patients and causes long-term nerve pain where the rash was and can last months or years after it goes away. Shingles can also lead to:

  • Vision loss when on the face
  • Bacterial infection of the rash
  • Pneumonia (lung infection)
  • Hearing problems
  • Brain inflammation
  • Death

Luckily, shingles is a preventable disease, and we have safe and effective vaccines to protect our community from it!

How does the Shingles Vaccine protect Southwest Florida?

The shingles vaccine protects middle-aged and older community members who had chickenpox earlier in their lives. More than 99% of Americans born before 1980 had chickenpox, even if they don't remember it. We know this because the vaccine that prevents chickenpox (and hence shingles) wasn't made until the 1980s. 

Reducing the number of people with shingles also helps stop the spread of chickenpox since the two diseases are caused by the same virus, varicella.

Shingles Vaccine FAQ

The CDC recommends the following groups get 2 doses of the shingles if they haven't already:

  • Adults 50 and Older
  • Adults 19 years and older with weakended immune systems due to disease therapy.

1 in 3 Americans will get shingles, and your risk of experiencing it increases with age. Additionally, while most people only get shingles once in their life, it's possible to have it more than once. Getting vaccinated is a safe and effective way of protecting yourself from shingles and others who aren't yet vaccinated against chickenpox.

Most people who get the shingles vaccine don't have any serious problems. Those who do usually have the following symptoms:

  • Soreness, redness, or swelling at the injection site
  • Tiredness
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Fever
  • Stomach pain
  • Shivers
  • Nausea

While potentially experiencing these symptoms is inconvenient, it's important to remember that the vaccine provides safe and effective protection against shingles, which can last weeks and cause long-term nerve pain.

Clinical pharmacists are available to answer your vaccine questions on Lee Health's MyChart portal.

If you don't have a MyChart account, signing up is quick and easy!

The information on this page was last verified in August of 2024.

For the latest updates on the Chickenpox Vaccine, check out the CDC's website on Vaccines and Preventable Diseases.

Schedule Vaccination

Protect yourself from preventable diseases!