Have you suffered from shingles vaccine side effects after receiving the Zostavax shingles injected vaccine?

Zostavax by Merck & Co. contains a live virus, which is intended to create an immunity to shingles, clinically known as herpes zoster. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccine reduces the risk of shingles by 51 percent at best. At worst, shingles vaccine side effects allegedly can result in serious and debilitating adverse health issues.

These adverse shingles vaccine side effects are usually seen within six months of receiving the injection.

At least one patient has filed a lawsuit, alleging the Zostavax injection left her with eye injuries, high blood pressure, headaches and dizziness. She said she was only warned that the shingles vaccine side effects could include rash or itching at the injection site.

The patient’s lawsuit alleges that “Merck continued to manufacture and market its product despite the knowledge, whether direct or ascertained with reasonable care, that Zostavax posed a serious risk of bodily harm to consumers.”

Zostavax was FDA-approved in 2006 to inoculate people 50 years of age and older against shingles. Even if a vaccinated person develops shingles, the duration of pain is reportedly reduced compared to someone who did not receive the vaccine.

Shingles (herpes zoster) is the reactivated chicken pox virus. Once a patient has chicken pox, the virus stays in the body in a dormant state. When reactivated due to stress or a reduced immune system, the virus allegedly manifests as painful shingles. Blisters normally show up in a line that follows the path of nerve endings.

Are Shingles Vaccine Side Effects Worth It?

Among possible shingles vaccine side effects are:

• Shingles after vaccine
• Myelitis (spinal cord inflammation)
• Postherpetic neuralgia (pain continuing after shingles blisters subside)
• Vision problems (blindness; eye infections; retinal damage)
• Hearing loss
• Autoimmune disorders (Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating, Polyneuropathy, Meniere’s Disease, etc.)
• Stroke
• Cardiovascular event
• Congestive heart failure
• Pneumonia caused by the live virus
• Bell’s Palsy (facial paralysis)
• Serious neurological disease/disorder
• Vasculitis, which is the destruction of blood vessels due to inflammation

Because Zostavax is a live vaccine, it should not be given to people with weakened immune systems. Anyone who has had radiation, chemotherapy or other medications that suppress the immune system should never receive a live virus vaccine.

Zostavax is recommended for people age 60 and older whether or not they can remember having had chicken pox as a child, according to the CDC. Even though Zostavax is approved for people ages 50 through 59, the CDC does not have a recommendation for use of the vaccine in that age range.

According to the CDC’s website, “Protection from this shingles vaccine lasts about 5 years, so adults vaccinated before they are 60 years old might not be protected later in life when the risk for shingles and its complications are greatest.”

If you have experienced shingles vaccine side effects after a Zostavax injection regardless of your age, you could qualify for compensation through legal representation.