Herpes Zoster (Shingles) Vaccine
When recommended: A single dose of the shingles vaccine is recommended for people ages 60 and over.
What you should know: The shingles vaccine is a much stronger version of the varicella vaccine. That's because both shingles and chicken pox are caused by the varicella virus. If you contract chicken pox, once your blisters clear up, the virus stays dormant in your body. In some people, the virus becomes reactivated later - usually many years later - in the nerve cells, causing the sometimes severe pain of shingles. The varicella vaccine can raise the risk of getting shingles slightly, but not as much as getting the chicken pox themselves. "No one should avoid getting the varicella vaccine for fear they will get shingles later," says Dr. Rodewald.
Possible side effects: redness, soreness, itching at injection site and headache
