Prevention of Shingles
Vaccination for shingles If you have not contracted shingles yet, you can get vaccination with the Zostavax vaccine. It is recommended for those who are 50 years old and over, and it is administered as single dose. Getting the vaccine is not a total guarantee that you will not get shingles. However, if you do, if ever you will get shingles, it will be less painful. Vaccination for chickenpox If you did not have a history of having chickenpox in your lifetime, you can get a vaccine for it. The rationale for this is that if you can prevent chickenpox, then you can prevent shingles. The vaccine for chickenpox is marketed as Varilrix and it is administered in two doses. The first dose is given on a selected date and the second dose is given at least six weeks after the first dose. It is injected under your skin or injected subcutaneously. Avoiding contact with people with chickenpox or shingles If you cannot get chickenpox or shingles vaccine then avoid contact with people who are suffering from chickenpox or shingles. The fluid contained by the vesicles in chickenpox and the blisters in shingles is very contagious. If you had no history of suffering from them and you did not have the needed vaccine, you are prone to contract any one of the diseases if you get into contact with people suffering from them.