Did you know that adverse shingle vaccination side effects are most often seen within six months of receiving the inoculation?

Shingles vaccine Zostavax contains a live virus and is designed to produce an immunity to shingles, caused by the herpes zoster virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates Zostavax is only about 51 percent effective.

Merck & Co.’s Zostavax vaccine was approved by the FDA in 2006 to protect people aged 50 and older against the painful shingles condition. While some inoculated patients still develop shingles, the pain and duration of the condition are reportedly reduced. Shingles vaccination side effects may be unexpected, according to patients.

However, dangerous shingle vaccination side effects allegedly can place patients at risk.

One patient’s lawsuit against Merck & Co. indicates a woman claims she experienced eye injuries, dizziness, headaches and high blood pressure after receiving Zostavax. She says she was only told of a possible rash or itching at the injection site as potential risks of shingle vaccination side effects.

Shingle Vaccination Side Effects Possibly Dangerous

In February 2016, the FDA approved a label change on the Zostavax vaccine to add a warning of the potential adverse side effect of “Eye disorders: necrotizing retinitis.”

The disorder can cause scarring from inflammation of eye tissue, leading to permanent blindness with quick treatment. While the reasons are unknown, the symptoms of necrotizing retinitis reportedly develop within 24 days of the Zostavax injection.

Other potential adverse shingle vaccination side effects can include:

• Shingles after vaccine
• Myelitis (spinal cord inflammation)
• Postherpetic neuralgia (pain continuing after shingles blisters subside)
• 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)
• Swollen glands near the injection site, lasting for several days to a few weeks
• Serious neurological disease/disorder
• Joint pain
• Muscle pain
• Vasculitis, which is the destruction of blood vessels due to inflammation

The risks of these potential shingle vaccination side effects allegedly can increase in people with weakened immune systems, including anyone who has endured radiation or chemotherapy. According to the FDA, such patients should never receive a live virus vaccine.

However, as people age, the immune system does not respond as well as it does when people are young. According to The Journal of Clinical Investigation’s March 1, 2013 article on the National Institutes of Health website, the effects of aging on the immune system include the diminished functioning of the lymphatic system. Could this mean that the elderly at an increased risk of shingle vaccination side effects, even though the vaccine was created for them?

And while the FDA indicates Zostavax is for people 50 and older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “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 shingle vaccination side effects after a shingles vaccination, you could qualify for compensation through legal representation.