Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

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Whether it's the annual flu shot, latest COVID-19 booster, or milestone shots that cover pneumonia, shingles or tetanus, staying up to date on immunizations is just one way to protect your health.

"It's worthwhile having that conversation with your primary care team because we might change depending on conditions that you have and potentially even the age at which you would receive that vaccine," says Dr. Presutti.

Adult vaccinations to update

Pneumonia can be life-threatening when fluid fills the lungs' air sacs. In general, a vaccination is recommended for all adults 65 and older.

Shingles, a reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox, can cause a painful, blistering rash. Vaccination is recommended in adults over 50.

Tetanus is caused by a bacterial infection, often from a cut or wound. The Tdap vaccine is recommended every 10 years and also protects against diphtheria and pertussis – the latter known as whooping cough.

"If you're a new parent or a new grandparent, then you should be getting the pertussis update vaccine to decrease the risk of you actually communicating, or giving, pertussis to the newborn baby," says Dr. Presutti.

Related posts:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: Strategies to stay healthy during respiratory virus season
• Can you get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time? A Mayo Clinic expert weighs in
• Mayo Clinic Minute: Why vaccines are especially important for older people

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Update adult vaccinations for a new year appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A friend recently went through a bout of shingles. I really don't know much about this condition, but I know it was painful. How do you get it? Is there a treatment or vaccine for it?

ANSWER: Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a common condition caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Not everyone who has had chickenpox will develop shingles. However, after years of lying dormant in nerve tissue near the spinal cord and brain, the virus can reactivate in some people. As it becomes active again, the virus causes pain, tingling and, eventually, a rash of blisters that doesn't last long.

The reason for shingles is unclear. But it may be due to lowered immunity to infections as you grow older.

Preventing shingles

Vaccines reduce the risk of developing shingles. The Shingrix vaccine is approved and recommended for people 50 and older, including those who have had shingles or previously received the Zostavax vaccine, which is no longer sold in the U.S. Studies suggest that Shingrix protects against shingles for more than five years. The vaccine is given in two doses with two to six months between doses.

Signs and symptoms

Shingles usually affects only a small section on one side of your body and may include:

• Pain, burning, tingling, itching, numbness or extreme sensitivity to touch
• Red rash with fluid-filled blisters that begins a few days after the pain and lasts two to three weeks before scabbing over and healing
• Fever
• Headache
• Chills
• Sensitivity to light
• General feeling of unease and discomfort

Pain is usually the first symptom of shingles. For some, it can be intense. Depending on the location of the pain, sometimes it can be mistaken for a symptom of problems affecting the heart, lungs or kidneys. Some people experience shingles pain without ever developing the rash.

The shingles rash commonly occurs on one side of the torso. It often appears as a band of blisters that wraps from the middle of the back to the breastbone, following the path of the nerve where the virus has been dormant. However, the rash can occur around one eye, or on the neck or face.

Shingles generally lasts between two to six weeks. Most people get shingles only once, but it's possible to get it two or more times.

See a health care professional as soon as symptoms of shingles appear, especially if:

• The pain and rash occur near an eye — if left untreated, this infection can lead to permanent eye damage
• You're 60 or older, because age significantly increases the risk of complications
• You or someone in your family has a weakened immune system due to cancer, medications, chronic illness or other conditions
• The rash is widespread and painful

When identified early, shingles can be treated with prescription medications to shorten the infection and reduce the risk of complications. Shingles normally isn't serious, although the rash can cause an eye infection. Another complication, called "postherpetic neuralgia," causes the skin to remain painful and sensitive to touch for months or years.

A person with shingles can pass the varicella-zoster virus to anyone who isn't immune to chickenpox. This happens through direct contact with the rash's open sores. Once infected, the person will develop chickenpox — not shingles.

Because chickenpox can be dangerous for some people, until the shingles blisters scab over, people are contagious and should avoid physical contact with:

• Anyone with a weak immune system
• Newborns
• Women who are pregnant

While shingles cannot be cured, getting vaccinated and seeking prompt treatment with antiviral drugs can speed healing and reduce your risk of complications. — Dr. Jeffery Wheeler, Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System, Cannon Falls, Minnesota

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Related Article

• Mayo Clinic Minute: Learn more about eye shingles published 3/21/22

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Shingles — not just a band of blisters appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Ophthalmic shingles is one particular version of the disease that can have some serious side effects that ultimately can cause permanent damage to your vision.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (0:59) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

You're probably familiar with shingles, a viral infection that causes a painful rash — usually on the body's torso. But did you know that shingles also can affect the eye?

"Shingles around the eye typically involves the skin of the forehead and the skin of the upper lid. It can also involve the side of the nose or the tip of the nose," says Dr. Keith Baratz, a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist.

The virus lies dormant for years, but, when triggered by stress or a weakened immune system, it travels along nerve pathways to the skin and usually affects only one side of the face.

"You can almost draw a line right down the middle of the forehead when you get the rash," says Dr. Baratz.

In addition to the telltale rash or blisters, patients often will have pink eye, swelling or even blurry vision.

"It can be very painful. But when it’s around the eye, it’s really a dangerous problem. The complications in the eye can last for a long time," says Dr. Baratz. "So it needs to be considered very, very seriously."

The key to overcoming eye shingles is quick diagnosis and aggressive treatment with antiviral medication. Your doctor will perform several dilated eye exams to monitor the health of your eye until the shingles are resolved.

For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Learn more about eye shingles appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Question: What are my options for the shingles vaccine? If I've already had shingles, should I get the vaccine so that I don't get shingles again?

Answer: People looking to receive the shingles vaccine now have two options. The Food and Drug Administration in 2017 approved Shingrix. It's the preferred alternative to Zostavax, which was approved in 2006.

Both vaccines are approved for adults age 50 and older for the prevention of shingles and related complications, whether they've already had shingles or not. You may get the Shingrix vaccine even if you've already had shingles. Also, consider getting the Shingrix vaccine if you've had the Zostavax vaccine or if you don't know whether you've had chickenpox.

Zostavax is a live vaccine given as a single injection, usually in the upper arm. Shingrix is a nonliving vaccine made of a virus component. It's given in two doses, with two to six months between doses. The most common side effects of either shingles vaccine are redness, pain, tenderness, swelling and itching at the injection site, and headaches.

Some people report a chickenpox-like rash after getting the shingles vaccine.

Although some people will develop shingles despite vaccination, the vaccine may reduce the severity and duration of it.

Talk to your health care provider about your vaccination options if you:

• Have ever had an allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin or any other component of the shingles vaccine
• Have a weakened immune system due to HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system
• Are receiving immune system-suppressing drugs or treatments, such as steroids, adalimumab (Humira), infliximab (Remicade), etanercept (Enbrel), radiation or chemotherapy
• Have cancer that affects the bone marrow or lymphatic system, such as leukemia or lymphoma
• Are pregnant or trying to become pregnant

Zostavax has been shown to offer protection against shingles for about five years. Although Zostavax is approved for people age 50 and older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Zostavax be given at age 60, when the risk of shingles and its complications is highest. While Zostavax is no longer being sold in the U.S. as of July 2020, other countries may still use it.

Studies suggest protection against shingles with Shingrix may extend beyond five years. Shingrix is approved and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for people age 50 and older, including those who've previously received Zostavax.

The cost of the shingles vaccine may not be covered by Medicare, Medicaid or insurance. Check your plan.

Related information:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: What are eye shingles?
• Consumer Health: Shingles — if you’re over 50, get your vaccination
• Infectious Diseases A-Z: Over age 50? Get your shingles vaccine

____________________________________

This article is written by Mayo Clinic staff. Find more health and medical information on mayoclinic.org.

The post Shingles vaccine: Should I get it? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Chickenpox

Cases of chickenpox declined after the chickenpox vaccine became available in the U.S. in 1995, but it remains a concern. "The important thing to know about chickenpox is that even though it used to be a common childhood infection, there are very serious complications that can occur, including infections of the brain; infections of the lung; and secondary bacterial infections of the chickenpox spots, including cases of flesh-eating disease or necrotizing fasciitis, which were reported, as well," says Dr. Rajapakse.

Watch: Dr. Nipune Rajapakse explains chickenpox.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites with Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse are in the downloads at the end of the post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network."

The virus can be spread through direct or close contact with someone who has chickenpox and through the airborne route. Cases of chickenpox continue to develop in areas where children are unvaccinated. Dr. Rajapakse says chickenpox also can be picked up when people travel to areas where vaccine is not routine. "Chickenpox is definitely still present in the U.S., and it's possible to get exposed and infected."

The best preventive is vaccination. "The chickenpox vaccine is available as a combined vaccine with measles, mumps, rubella. There's a measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and chickenpox vaccine. There's a free-standing chickenpox vaccine, as well," says Dr. Rajapakse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children receive the first dose of the varicella vaccine at 12–15 months old and a second dose at 4–6 years old.

Chickenpox may be a thought of as a childhood disease, but it also has implications for adults. "Chickenpox and shingles are caused by the same virus. When you get infected with it the first time, you develop the classic chickenpox illness with the diffuse rash. Once you are infected with chickenpox virus, it stays in your body in a latent or a sleeping state, which can then wake up or reactivate later on in life. When it does that, that's what we call shingles," says Dr. Rajapakse.

A new shingles vaccine is now available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for all adults 50 and above.

The post Infectious Diseases A-Z: Protect children from chickenpox infection appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Ophthalmic shingles is one particular version of the disease that can have some serious side effects that ultimately can cause permanent damage to your vision.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (0:59) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

You're probably familiar with shingles, a viral infection that causes a painful rash — usually on the body's torso. But did you know that shingles also can affect the eye?

"Shingles around the eye typically involves the skin of the forehead and the skin of the upper lid. It can also involve the side of the nose or the tip of the nose," says Dr. Keith Baratz, a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist.

The virus lies dormant for years, but, when triggered by stress or a weakened immune system, it travels along nerve pathways to the skin and usually affects only one side of the face.

"You can almost draw a line right down the middle of the forehead when you get the rash," says Dr. Baratz.

In addition to the telltale rash or blisters, patients often will have pink eye, swelling or even blurry vision.

"It can be very painful. But when it’s around the eye, it’s really a dangerous problem. The complications in the eye can last for a long time," says Dr. Baratz. "So it needs to be considered very, very seriously."

The key to overcoming eye shingles is quick diagnosis and aggressive treatment with antiviral medication. Your doctor will perform several dilated eye exams to monitor the health of your eye until the shingles are resolved.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: What are eye shingles? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic, will discuss shingles and who should get vaccinated. Also on the program, Dr. John Volz, an orthodontist at Mayo Clinic, will explain treatment for cleft lip and cleft palate. And Dr. Scott Litin, an internal medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic, will share information about the latest edition of the Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. Dr. Litin is the medical editor.

Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

The post Shingles / cleft lip and palate / Mayo Clinic Family Health Book: Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic, will discuss shingles and who should get vaccinated. Also on the program, Dr. John Volz, an orthodontist at Mayo Clinic, will explain treatment for cleft lip and cleft palate. And Dr. Scott Litin, an internal medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic, will share information about the latest edition of the Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. Dr. Litin is the medical editor.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Shingles vaccine appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic, will discuss shingles and who should get vaccinated. Also on the program, Dr. John Volz, an orthodontist at Mayo Clinic, will explain treatment for cleft lip and cleft palate. And Dr. Scott Litin, an internal medicine specialist at Mayo Clinic, will share information about the latest edition of the Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. Dr. Litin is the medical editor.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show?  Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Shingles / cleft lip and palate / Mayo Clinic Family Health Book appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ANSWER: A new vaccine, called Shingrix, is now available that’s very effective in preventing shingles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone age 50 and older with a healthy immune system receive this vaccine, whether you’ve had shingles before or not.

Unlike the other vaccine that’s been available for shingles since 2006, called Zostavax, this new vaccine is inactivated. That means it does not contain a live virus. Because of that, it is safe in people who have weakened immune systems. However, the CDC has not yet made recommendations for Shingrix vaccination in these individuals. If you have a weakened immune system, talk to your health care provider about your vaccination options for shingles.

Shingles is caused by a virus called varicella-zoster. When you’re first infected with this virus, it causes the itchy rash known as chickenpox. Although chickenpox is uncomfortable, most people recover from it without any lasting problems. But after the rash of chickenpox goes away, the virus does not. Instead, the varicella-zoster virus goes into hiding in your body’s nerve cells.

As you grow older, when your body is stressed — sometimes because of another infection or perhaps due to medications that suppress your immune system — the varicella-zoster virus can be reactivated. But rather than getting a whole-body rash again, you get a rash just in the areas supplied by the nerve where the virus is activated.

Shingles typically involves a band-like rash on the chest, back or face. The rash usually is quite painful. Most people recover from shingles in a few days, but a small number go on to develop severe pain along the nerve that was irritated when the virus came back. This lingering pain, called postherpetic neuralgia, may last for weeks to months after the shingles episode. In some cases, the pain can be severe and very difficult to treat.

Research has shown Shingrix, the newly approved shingles vaccine, to be more than 90 percent effective in preventing shingles and the postherpetic neuralgia that can sometimes accompany it. You need to receive two doses of Shingrix, with the doses two to six months apart. The vaccine is given as a shot in the upper arm. After you receive two doses, the vaccine offers long-term protection against the virus reactivating. Shingrix is approved and recommended for people older than 50, including those who have had shingles before and those who previously received Zostavax.

That said, there are a few groups of people who should not receive Shingrix. Don’t get the vaccine if you’ve had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of the vaccine. Shingrix is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you have shingles, wait until the rash goes away before receiving the vaccine. If you recently received the live shingles vaccine, Zostavax, wait at least eight weeks before receiving Shingrix.

The most common side effects of the shingles vaccine are redness, pain, tenderness and swelling at the injection site; muscle pain; tiredness; headache; shivering; fever; and upset stomach. Although a small percentage of people may still get shingles despite receiving a vaccination, the vaccine may reduce the severity and duration of shingles, and it decreases the risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia.

If you’re 50 or older, talk to your health care provider about getting the shingles vaccine. It provides strong protection against shingles and postherpetic neuralgia, and plays an important role in preventive health care for older adults. — Dr. Priya Sampathkumar, Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: New shingles vaccine recommended for most adults over age 50 appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.