Shingles vaccine urged for seniors
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From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended that people 60 and older get Merck & Co.’s vaccine Zostavax to protect against shingles.
The CDC said the recommendation replaces a provisional one it made in 2006 after the vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and recommended by a CDC advisory panel of immunization experts.
Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same one that causes chicken pox.
There is no cure for shingles, which causes a painful, blistering rash.
After a person has had chicken pox, the virus remains dormant in the body, and years later can reactivate as shingles.
