There are many benefits to getting the shingles vaccine as soon as you’re eligible.
“We found that getting the vaccine starting at age 50 can hopefully prevent as many complications or shingles outbreaks as possible,” says Peter DeMarco, MD, Family Medicine Physician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
If you have a condition or take a medication that suppresses the immune system, you may be eligible before age 50.
Peter DeMarco, MD, is a primary care provider at Columbia Primary Care and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Administering Shingrix.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Shingles (herpes zoster): About shingles (herpes zoster).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Shingles vaccination.
Harbecke, R., et al. (2023). Herpes zoster vaccines. The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Nair, P. A., et al. (2023). Herpes zoster. StatPearls.
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