The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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- Who should get the shingles vaccine Shingles symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people age 50 and older receive two doses of the Shingrix shingles vaccine. The CDC recommends the administra­tion of two doses of Shingrix within a two- to six-month period or a single dose of Zostavax, another vaccine for shingles that has been promoted for people 60 and older. The CDC and health experts say Shingrix is preferred over Zostavax.

■ People usually have tingling, itching and pain in the area where the rash will develop one to five days before a shingles rash develops, the CDC says.

■ The rash most often forms in a single vertical stripe on the right or left side of the body.

■ Sometimes the rash forms on the face and can affect the eye and cause vision loss.

■ Symptoms can also present themselves through an upset stomach, headache, fever and chills. says. “However, the virus that causes shingles, the varicella zoster virus, can be spread from a person with active shingles to another person who has never had chickenpox.”

■ The virus is spread through direct contact with fluid from the blisters but is only spread when the rash is in the blister phase. Shingles is not contagious before the blisters appear, or once the rash crusts or scabs over. You can type in your location and this Shingrix.Com site will advise you about the availabili­ty of the Shingrix vaccine in your area: www.shingrix.com/shinglesva­ccine-locator.html?q=33173. But there is no guarantee that the site, updated weekly, will be accurate. Some of the listed locations may still be out of stock, so you ought to call before driving over.

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