A growing number of patients are coming forward with reports of shingles vaccine injuries after treatment with Zostavax. One Ohio woman claims that her use of the Zostavax vaccine led to her stroke four months later.

The woman, Pamela C., was treated with the Zostavax vaccine to prevent shingles. Shingles is essentially the reactivation of the chicken pox virus. It sometimes develops in older patients, and it can lead to debilitating nerve pain and painful rashes, which may in some cases cause permanent injuries. Treatment with a shingles vaccine is recommended for patients like Pamela who are over 60.

However, some patients, like Pamela, claim that there are shingles vaccine injuries from use of Zostavax that patients may not be warned about.

So far, nearly 60 federal lawsuits have been filed against Merck, the drug’s manufacturer. These lawsuits allege a number of shingles vaccine injuries, including cardiovascular complications, stroke, and even shingles—the very problem the vaccine is meant to prevent.

If you or someone you love has suffered from shingles vaccine injuries from Zostavax, such as stroke, cardiovascular issues, or shingles, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.

Background of Zostavax

Zostavax was introduced to the market in May 2006 with its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Zostavax vaccine is manufactured by Merck, approved to prevent shingles (herpes zoster) in patients 60 and up. Essentially, Zostavax is a stronger version of Merck’s chicken pox vaccine, Varivax.

Unfortunately, the use of the Zostavax vaccine has been associated with a serious and even dangerous complication: the development of the very vaccine it is meant to prevent.

Zostavax Shingles Vaccine Injuries

Any medication will come with certain side effects, and Zostavax is no exception. Zostavax includes warnings of shingles vaccine injuries like headaches, fever, joint pain, and nausea. The key here is that there is a warning of these shingles vaccine injuries.

However, patients have also reported major side effects after use of Zostavax that they say were not properly included in the warnings, including blindness, paralysis, brain damage, and death. Since then, the FDA has updated the drug’s warnings to include vision damage from eye inflammation.

Zostavax shingles vaccine injuries usually appear between zero and six months after the vaccine is administered. Long-term injuries like neurological damage are also possible.

According to Pamela’s shingles vaccine injuries lawsuit, hundreds of serious adverse event reports have been filed over Zostavax side effects, including dozens of deaths. “If the plaintiffs were equipped with the knowledge of the defective conditions and potential harms of the Zostavax vaccine, they would not have purchased it and agreed to have it injected into their body,” the shingles vaccine lawsuit claims.

Filing a Zostavax Shingles Vaccine Lawsuit

If you or someone you love have suffered from shingles vaccine injuries from the Zostavax vaccine, you may be able to file a shingles vaccine lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by these side effects, nor can it bring a loved one back to life, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.