Having a member of our congregation who is suffering from shingles reminded me that not everyone in our congregation may know that there is a vaccine which can prevent shingles. It is also called the zoster vaccine and it is essentially the same virus that is in the childhood chickenpox vaccine but at a higher dose. It is indicated for most people 60 and over although some insurance companies may cover it for those 50 and over since that is the FDA’s indication for it. I have never met anyone who has had the shingles or zoster who wanted it a second time. I would recommend the vaccine for older folks who don’t want to find out for themselves how painful it can be.
