Shoppers Food & Pharmacy to offer shingles vaccine
Shoppers Food & Pharmacy has started offering vaccinations for shingles - a disease caused by the chicken pox virus that is becoming more common among Americans.
About one million people in the United States develops shingles1, which causes a painful rash, yet fewer than 10 percent of people who are most at risk of developing shingles get the vaccine, according to a report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Shingles is most common in adults age 60 and older.
“Shingles can be a debilitating condition for many adults with the risk increasing as they get older,” said Anthony Provenzano, pharmacy director of clinical programs for SUPERVALU, which owns Shoppers. “By getting the shingles vaccine from one of our specially trained and certified immunizing pharmacists, adults can reduce their chances of developing shingles or lessen the severity of pain and complications resulting from the illness.”
The National Shingles Foundation said if it isn't treated, shingles can lead to stroke, especially if it's near the eye.
The disease, also called herpes zoster, usually appears on one side of the face or body and lasts from two to four weeks. The pain can continue long after the rash clears — lasting for months or even years for some people.
Shingles is caused by a reappearance of the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body in a dormant state. For reasons not fully known, the virus can reactivate years later, causing shingles.
The Zostavax vaccine for shingles was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May 2006. In clinical trials, the vaccine reduced patients’ risk of getting shingles by 50 percent and lessened the pain in people who still developed the condition after being vaccinated.
The cost of the vaccination at Shoppers will vary based on the individual’s insurance coverage, the grocer said. All Medicare Part D prescription drug plans cover the shingles vaccine administered in Shoppers in-store pharmacies. Patients may have to pay a co-pay.
