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NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WFSB) — There’s been such a demand for a shingles vaccine that it’s been difficult for pharmacies and doctor’s offices to stay stocked.
That shortage has extended into Connecticut.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in every three people in the U.S. will develop shingles in their lifetime.
Ninety-nine percent of people born before 1980 have had the chickenpox, even if they don’t remember it.
That means the shingles virus is already lying dormant in their bodies.
The painful rash can also cause nerve pain that can linger for weeks or months after it clears up.
Medical experts recommend people over the age of 50 get the vaccine, Shingrix, which came out in 2017.
People get the first shot, then a second dose two to six months later.
The new vaccine is proven to be 90 percent effective.
It’s more effective than the old shingles vaccine, so if patients have had the old one, they should try to get the new one as well.
“Anybody can get shingles, as we age, it’s more likely that we will get shingles,” said Dr. Virginia Bieluch, director of infectious disease, The Hospital of Central Connecticut. “Also if your immune system is compromised in any way or you’re under a lot of stress, you can get shingles as a younger person also.”
However, the vaccine is not easy to find.
“Because of the effectiveness of the vaccine there has been an unprecedented demand for this vaccination and the company is working very hard to eliminate that shortage but it’s going to be shortage for this vaccine possibly for 2018,” Bieluch said.
The CDC has an online vaccine finder here.
However, it recommends calling around to see which places have the vaccine in stock or to ask to be put on a waiting list.
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