Shingles Vaccine

The herpes zoster virus that causes shingles Shingles Shingles is a painful skin rash caused by a viral infection that results from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox. What causes the virus to reactive... read more is the same virus that causes chickenpox Chickenpox Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection with the varicella-zoster virus that causes a characteristic itchy rash, consisting of small, raised, blistered, or crusted spots. Chickenpox... read more . After chickenpox resolves, the virus remains in the body. It can be reactivated years later and cause shingles, which is a painful rash, usually on only one part of the body. The rash resolves after several weeks, but postherpetic neuralgia, which causes severe chronic pain, can last for months or years. Herpes zoster can also cause other problems due to malfunction of the nervous system (such as problems with vision, hearing, or balance).

Shingles vaccination is the only way to protect against shingles and postherpetic neuralgia, the most common complication from shingles.

The shingles vaccine contains only noninfective pieces of the virus (called a recombinant vaccine). There is no live virus in this vaccine. There is an older shingle vaccine that contains live but weakened virus (called a live-attenuated vaccine). It is no longer available for use in the United States. The newer vaccine is preferred over the older vaccine because it provides better and longer-lasting protection.

For more information, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Shingles Vaccination and the Recombinant shingles vaccine information statement.

For information about the chickenpox vaccine see varicella vaccine Varicella Vaccine The varicella vaccine helps protect against chickenpox (varicella), a very contagious infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It causes an itchy rash that looks like small blisters with... read more . (See also Overview of Immunization Overview of Immunization Immunization (vaccination) helps the body defend itself against diseases caused by certain bacteria or viruses. Immunity (the ability of the body to defend itself against diseases caused by... read more .)