From: CRDAMC Public Affairs

(May 23, 2008) -- According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) almost one out of three people in America will develop shingles during their lifetime.

The disease poses a greater risk to people over age 60. The only way to reduce the risk of developing shingles and the long-term pain that can follow shingles is to be vaccinated.

Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center’s Allergy and Immunization Clinic will hold a special Zostavax® clinic from 8 – 11 a.m. and from 1 – 3:30 p.m., June 6, at the Thomas Moore Health Clinic, building 2245, on Fort Hood for military healthcare beneficiaries 60 years or older.

To get the vaccine, contact the clinic at 285-6335 for the morning or afternoon session.

Individuals who should not get the vaccine include those who have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or any other component of shingles vaccine.

Individuals should not get the vaccine if their immune system is weak because of HIV/Aids or another disease that affects the immune system.

This includes anyone being treated with drugs that affect the immune system; those receiving cancer treatments with drugs that affect the immune system; anyone with a history of cancer affecting the bone marrow or lymphatic system; anyone with active tuberculosis; or anyone will who is ill.

“Shingles starts out as a painful skin rash,” said Col. Clifford Friesen, chief of the Allergy and Immunization Clinic,” and the rash can lead to serious complications if not treated quickly.”

Friesen added that the same virus, varicella zoster that causes chickenpox, also causes shingles “If a person gets the chickenpox, the virus remains in their body and it can come back years later as shingles.

This can be devastating for older folks, especially those with weak immune systems,” added Friesen.

For more information on shingles and the vaccine, visit the CDC Web site, www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-shingles.pdf.