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New Shingles Vaccine Urged for Adults 50+

What you need to know about that and the flu, pneumonia and other vaccines

By Leah Ingram

(Editor's note: This newly updated story was originally published in 2017.)

Vaccines
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If you are in your fifties, there's a new shingles vaccine recommendation for you.

In January 2018, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) formally recommended that all healthy adults 50 and older get two doses of a newly approved vaccine for shingles called Shingrix. It is more effective than the older vaccine, Zostavax; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it in October. Consumer Reports says health insurers will likely cover the cost of the new vaccine, which is $280 for its two shots.

One out of every three people will develop shingles in their lifetime.

"If you’ve had chickenpox, you are at risk for shingles," said Dr. William Shaffner, medical director and former president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). "Your risk of getting shingles increases as you age, especially after age 50." It is not passed from person to person.

The full updated immunization schedule for adults was published on the CDC website this week.

Read on for more details on the most common vaccines for older adults — shingles, influenza (flu) and pneumococcal pneumonia — plus boosters you need for tetanus and pertussis.

Shingles

The virus that causes chickenpox also causes shingles, a blistering rash that can produce a burning, electric shock or stabbing pain where it erupts. Also called herpes zoster, it can lie dormant for years.

Some people who got the chickenpox as a kid will never develop shingles. Others might get it as an adult multiple times. No one knows why someone has a shingles outbreak, though some believe a stressful event can bring it on.

The complications of shingles increase in severity as you age, says Dr. Dana Hawkinson, infectious disease specialist at The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas.

One of those complications is post-herpetic neuralgia: a burning pain that lasts months or years after the rash has healed. The risk of neuralgia is decreased if you begin taking antiviral drugs within 72 hours of developing the shingles rash, according to the Mayo Clinic.

A 2005 New England Journal of Medicine article underscores the severity of the disease: "The pain and discomfort associated with herpes zoster can be prolonged and disabling, diminishing the patient's quality of life and ability to function to a degree comparable to that in diseases such as congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction [heart attack], diabetes mellitus type 2 and major depression."

Influenza

If you don't know by now, influenza or the flu is nothing to sneeze at. It can be a killer, especially for those 65 and older. Flu season typically lasts from fall through spring; the 2017-18 season is not yet over, and it has been particularly harsh.

"Influenza is a dangerous disease that can lead to pneumonia and fatal outcomes," warns Hawkinson. Because the flu virus changes every year, you need to get a flu shot annually. It is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older.

The shot typically becomes available in late August, and Hawkinson recommends getting immunized in September or October so your body has enough time to build up immunity after the shot. That can take a few weeks.

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However, if you miss this window, don't forego the shot altogether.

“[People should] still continue to get it until the end of flu season," Hawkinson adds, "because it can have so many important effects." While you can still contract the flu after getting the vaccine, the severity of the illness may be lessened. "Also, patients who have gotten the vaccine have fewer days being ill, and they have even fewer days missing work," Hawkinson says.

Having an egg allergy does not mean you can’t get the shot: there is an egg-free, FDA-approved influenza vaccine.

Pneumococcal Pneumonia

This vaccine is known under the brand names Pneumovax and Prevnar, according to the CDC, and each prevents different strains of strep pneumonia.

The Prevnar version of the vaccine is given starting in childhood and then again as an adult 65 or older. The Pneumovax version is usually for adults only. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a bacterial infection that can have dire consequences, especially for those with certain health conditions, such as chronic heart or lung disease, or diabetes.

Tetanus and Pertussis Booster

Did you know that as you age, your immunity to the diseases you've been vaccinated against as a child starts to wane? That’s why it's just as important to be vaccinated as an adult as it was as a child.

You should be getting what's called a Tdap booster every 10 years. That's because Tdap includes protection against tetanus — the T in the shot — and pertussis or whooping cough — the P in the shot.

"As we age, we become more susceptible to pertussis, and we can spread it to the younger generation that hasn't yet been immunized against whooping cough," says Hawkinson.

Another thing to consider: While it is recommended you get this booster every 10 years, with regards to tetanus, if you are injured (by an animal bite or a cut from metal) more than five years after your last booster, you should get another one just to be safe.

Leah Ingram is a health, lifestyle and frugal-living writer and the author of Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier on Less. She is also founder of the money-saving blog, Suddenly Frugal, and writes for magazines and websites including Good Housekeeping and Parade.com. Read More
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