Are we going vaccine mad?
Nearly one million more people in England can have a vaccine against shingles on the NHS from September.
Anyone turning 65 will now be eligible, plus those over 50 with a severely weakened immune system – it was previously available to over-70s.
I won’t bother.
Three years ago it would have made perfect sense to get vaccinated against any potential illness that you might be at risk from. Now that the trust has gone this is no longer true. As I understand it, shingles is caused by the chicken pox virus. As such, is it unusual to get it twice? I had shingles and my illness was very mild, I had a rash but didn’t really feel ill at all. It was only later that I heard that it can be quite nasty.
Even if a rapid dog mauled me I would be very hesitant to get a tetanus jab.
Do you mean a greyhound, Jussi?
My greyhounds can barely muster the energy to lift their heads of the bed so mauling anyone is out of the question.
I’ve had shingles, it was bad but think as I’ve had it can’t have the jab. I can get shingles again apparently. Perhaps it will be mild if I do get another bout. Just keep away from those that have chicken pox.
You can’t catch shingles from someone with either shingles or chickenpox, but if you have shingles you can pass it on in the form of chickenpox to someone who has not previously had it.
Shingles is a resurgence of the chickenpox virus in those who are immunodepressed such as the elderly or those undergoing cancer treatment.