Area towns join to help residents obtain shingles shots

CROMWELL — It can be very painful, and more common than we might think.

And it is particularly concerning in people over 50.

The disease is shingles, and it occurs in one out of every three Americans, according to data compiled by the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention.

There is a vaccine to prevent the onset of shingles.

But given how painful shingles can be, the vaccine is in high demand, and shortages can occur.

Now, health officers in four central Connecticut towns have decided to tackle the issue head-on.

They have joined with

Stop & Shop to secure a ready supply of the vaccine and are offering to residents of Cromwell, Durham, Middlefield and Middletown.

The health officers have scheduled three clinics:

The first one is from 9 a.m. to noon March 31 in Cromwell Town Hall.

The second clinic is from noon to 3 p.m. April 1 at Durham’s Activity

Center (which is located at 350 Main St.).

The third clinic will be held in Middletown from 3 to 6 p.m. April 2 at Middletown’s Senior Center, which is located at 61 Durant St.

“The vaccine will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis,” said Salvatore Nesci, Cromwell’s public health coordinator.

“Appointments will not be taken,” Nesci added.

Because the clinics are open to the public, “There will be no residency requirement,” he added.

“This is a very painful condition,” Nesci said. “Just ask anyone who has had it.”

“Shingles is a virus — the same virus that causes chicken pox,” Nesci explained.

How many people have had chicken pox?

Approximately 99 percent of all Americans born before 1980 have had chicken pox, the CDC says — even if not all of them remember they had it.

“I can’t stress this enough: this is a common-sense intervention,” Nesci said of the vaccine.

“It’s a very practical way to protect yourself, and we are lucky to find someone who can provide us with a ready supply of the vaccine,” he said,

speaking of Stop & Shop.

“They are a great community partner. They are very community oriented and very open to working with us,” he added.

Last fall, the four towns joined with Stop & Shop to sponsor flu vaccine clinics.

In the coming weeks, the health officers in the four communities will hold a joint press conference to provide more detailed information about the shingles vaccine clinics, Nesci said. Health insurance coverage is required for the

shots, he said.

In the meantime, “I want to emphasize that this is practical preventive protection, and we — the four of us — are happy to be able to provide this opportunity to the residents in our communities,” Nesci said.