Shingles Recurrence Low among Elderly, Regardless of Vaccination Status

Here's some good news for elderly adults who have been unfortunate enough to come down with shingles: a new study shows that it's unlikely they'll have a recurrence, regardless of whether or not they've been vaccinated. (Shingles, a painful, blistering skin rash, is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.)

Researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that the risk of recurring shingles is not as high as previous research indicated. The researchers analyzed health records of more than 6,000 people over the age of 60 who had shingles and then monitored them over a two-year follow-up period. At the end of the two years, the researchers had observed fewer than 30 recurrent cases, with very little difference in the rate of recurrence among vaccinated and unvaccinated seniors.

The CDC recommends that adults age 60 and older be vaccinated against shingles.

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