Because of my neuromuscular disorder, I avoid all vaccinations... I've already had encephalitis twice.
That being said, Shingles is a specific type of herpes. Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes varicella (chickenpox). Primary infection with VZV causes varicella. Once the illness resolves, the virus remains latent in the dorsal root ganglia. VZV can reactive later in a person’s life and cause a painful, maculopapular rash called herpes zoster.
Until 2020, Zostavax was the vaccine available for Shingles. Merck, the creator of Zostavax removed their vaccine from the market after having a lawsuit dismissed against them. The lawsuit was brought by nearly 1200 people who claimed that they got Shingles from the Zostavax vaccine. Merck's defense was it was impossible to tell if their cases of Shingles was from the vaccine or from the wild Chicken Pox virus still in their system. The point being, either the Zostavax didn't work or caused Shingles in those people. Merck didn't want any further investigation, so they withdrew the vaccine.
Now we have the Shingrix vaccine and the healthcare community is pushing it, by discussing the terrible outcomes that can occur if you have an outbreak of Shingles. The problem is, in all my years I only encountered a couple of people who had Shingles and it was a nuisance. They still showed up for work and after a few weeks it was gone. Now, I hear about friends and acquaintances getting Shingles almost every other week. I may be older now, but in my line of work and relationships I was involved with elderly people daily. Somethings has changed.
