Shingles Vaccine for VA Patients

Shingles Vaccine for VA Patients

Information from a VA Press Release

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 -- A vaccine for shingles, which U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs researchers helped develop, is available to veterans who are patients at VA medical facilities nationwide. “Shingles can seriously degrade the quality of life for those who suffer from this disease,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “Offering this vaccine to our patients is further evidence of VA’s commitment to provide world-class health care to America’s veterans. VA physicians will offer the vaccine to patients with appropriate medical conditions, usually those who are 60 years of age or older and have healthy immune systems. A single dose of the vaccine offers protection against shingles, which is scientifically named Herpes Zoster.

Comments: 8

Olga Krylova Aug 31, 2007, 1:45pm EDT

Useful info! Thanks!

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Elizabeth "I'm Pro-Accordion and I Vote!" B. Aug 31, 2007, 1:49pm EDT

good to know.

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Susan Roberts Aug 31, 2007, 2:00pm EDT

My mother-in-law had shingles and was miserable, also my neighbor had them and she was so sick and weak all the time, couldn't go to work. I am glad to hear that there is something out there now.

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JoAnne D. Aug 31, 2007, 3:24pm EDT

Someone once said you can get that from drinking too much. I was young at the time and didn't know better, but thanks for this information.

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Jacqueline B. Aug 31, 2007, 4:17pm EDT

Thank you for this information. It might help people that we know.

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Ruth MacGill Sep 2, 2007, 7:08pm EDT

I'm glad to know about this. I had it but it was probably the lightest case on record. However, it did make me so uncomfortable I couldn't sleep and just paced the floor for most of several nights until I got some pain medicine. My mother had a very bad case and was hospitalized for quite a while. The pain lasted for months. I'm so glad they have developed a vaccine to prevent it, especially for our veterans who have suffered enough.

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Sherri K. Sep 10, 2007, 4:28pm EDT

Hi there, Two of my friends had shingles one got them and had them really bad for like 3 weeks. Around two weeks after that my other friend got them. I had heard of this product that would help and I gave it to my friend after the Dr had diagnosed her with shingles. It was gone in 4 days! I use it for everything now and used to have cold sores until the last time when i kept dabbing this on it. It went away in 3 days and I havent had another outbreak for the last 9 months.

Sherri Kreissig
http://www.automaticbuilder.com/sherribaby/silver/

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JoAnne D. Mar 29, 2008, 11:20pm EDT

I also didn't link the shingles with Herpes either. Live and learn.

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Shingles Vaccine for VA Patients

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