By Kimberly Shearon, The ProvinceSeptember 22, 2009 6:10 PM
When Diane Gibney heard a shingles vaccine was in development, she knew she wanted to be first in line to get the vaccination once it became available. Tuesday morning, she got what she wished for and became one of the first people in B.C. to get vaccinated against shingles.“I’ve been waiting for a while,” the retired teacher said. While Gibney has never had shingles, a painful nerve infection that is usually accompanied by a blistering rash, she knows several who suffered in its grip. Gibney’s aunt was terminally ill with cancer when she got shingles, which left her in excruciating pain. Another friend got shingles and the rash affected her corneas, causing her to lose sight in one eye.
One $190 injection is a small price to pay to keep her eyesight, Gibney said.I didn’t feel a thing,” she said after receiving the vaccination. Her husband Kelly, was standing nearby, ready to get vaccinated as well. The vaccine, developed by Merck Frosst and known as ZOSTAVAX, became available across the country Tuesday. It is only offered to people aged 60 years or older because studies have not conclusively proven that it is effective for those in younger age groups, said Dr. Suni Boraston of the Vancouver Coastal Health Travel Clinic.
Two-thirds of people who develop shingles are over the age of 50.In Canada, there are an estimated 130,000 shingles cases each year.“Everyone over 60 should have the vaccine,” Boraston said. Anyone who has ever had chickenpox — which is about 95 per cent of Canadian adults — can get shingles. It is caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. The vaccine can reduce the chances of developing shingles by 50 per cent.More importantly, Boraston said, it can reduce persistent, long-term pain associated with the condition by nearly 75 per cent. “Even if you have had shingles before, this could help prevent a another case from developing.”
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