Shingles is a painful condition, and a Shingles outbreak can occur to you at any time, if you've had chickenpox in the past. Learn more about this debilitating illness, what you can do to prevent a Shingles outbreak and treatments for easing the pain and discomfort of a Shingles outbreak.

What is Zostavax?

Zostavax is a FDA licensed vaccine used to inoculate patients who are at risk of having an outbreak of Shingles. Zostavax has been shown to reduce the likelihood of having a Shingles outbreak by 50%, and to reduce the severity and duration of Shingles symptoms in patients who have a Shingles outbreak. The Zostavax vaccine was introduced in 2006, and is a more powerful version of the vaccine that is used to prevent a patient from having an outbreak of chickenpox. The Zostavax vaccine is recommended for patients who have had chickenpox and are 60 years or older, since they are most at risk for having a Singles outbreak. Generally, a patient will only need one vaccination in their lifetime. Reported side-effects include redness, swelling, pain or tenderness where the shot was given. In addition, some patients have reported mild cases of fever, diarrhea and other flu-like symptoms after receiving the Zostavax shot.

More Shingles Topics and Information: Does The Shingles Vaccine Work? How Do You Catch Shingles? How Did I Get Shingles? I Think I Have Shingles What Are The Shingles Symptoms?