Shingles is a painful skin rash experienced by almost a million people each year. The primary symptom is severe pain and is often accompanied by fever, headache, chills and upset stomach that last from two to four weeks. Caused by the varicella zoster virus, ‘shingles’ comes from the same virus strain that causes chickenpox. Often after an individual experiences chickenpox, the virus will remain dormant in the body and reactivate years later causing shingles.

Approximately one out of every three people in the United States will develop shingles. The risk of contracting shingles increases with age; nearly half of all cases occur in individuals age 50 years and older. Individuals who experience shingles will likely only develop it once in their lifetime, though in rare instances, it may be contracted more than once.

SHINGRIX is a vaccine given as a 2-dose series to adults 50 years and older. In clinical trials it was proven to be over 90% effective in preventing shingles.