A shingles vaccine can improve your health — especially if you’re over 50

There’s no shortage of hot topics these days: Syria, the soaring U.S. deficit, our porous online privacy, the president’s personal lawyer having his office raided by federal agents...and of course, shingles.

Jane Brody’s health column on her experience with the shingles vaccine, headlined “Why You Should Get The New Shingles Vaccine,” was one of the top trending articles in the New York Times on Tuesday.

About a million people get shingles each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and even though the push to get vaccinated is geared to the over-50 crowd, anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles, even kids.

While shingles is thought of as an older person’s illness and the risk of contracting it increases with age, “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, a relative babe in the woods at 38, recently disclosed that he was diagnosed with shingles.

Preventing it is easier than ever. A new shingles vaccine, Shingrix, made by GlaxoSmithKlinePLC GSK, -0.65% recently became available in the U.S., and studies showed it to be superior to Zostavax MRK, -0.57% which has been in use since 2006. Possible side effects from Shingrix include sore arm, some redness and swelling in the injection area. Some who receive the vaccine people feel tired, have muscle pain, a headache, shivering, fever, stomach pain, or nausea, the CDC says.

Most people only get shingles once in their lives, but subsequent outbreaks are possible, and they can occur when someone has a compromised immune system or is under a great deal of stress. Shingles presents as a painful rash that develops on one side of the face or body, complete with blisters that scab over, the CDC says. The rash can last two to four weeks and before it develops, people experience pain and tingling in the area where the rash will appear. Other symptoms include fever, headache, chills and an upset stomach.

People at higher risk of developing shingles include those with weakened immune systems or with cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, and HIV, or who are on immunosuppressive drugs, such as steroids and drugs that are given after organ transplantation.

The Shingrix vaccine is administered by injection in two doses, between two and six months apart. The vaccine is available at doctors’ offices, health clinics, and some pharmacies, offer it. Medicare Part D plans cover the vaccine, but costs vary by plan, and many private insurers cover recommended vaccines.