Two women have filed a Zostavax lawsuit, claiming they developed shingles caused by vaccine complications.

Zostavax is a vaccine created by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., and the McKesson Corp. Approved by the FDA in 2006, Zostavax is designed to inoculate adults ages 50 and older against shingles, a painful rash caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus that originates in the body from chicken pox.

After a person experiences itchy chicken pox, the virus rests in the nerve tissues near the spinal cord and brain. Decades later, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles, also known as herpes zoster. Shingles travel along the nerve fibers to the skin, usually on one side of the body. Shingles cause shooting pain.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Zostavax reduces the chance of developing shingles by only 51 percent.

Women Allege Shingles Caused by Vaccine

Plaintiff Judith E. alleges she received a Zostavax shot in May 2008. In August 2016, she says she was treated for a shingles outbreak on the left side of her back, chest and abdomen. At the time, she alleges she was scheduled for a mastectomy to remove breast cancer, a surgery that had to be postponed until after the shingles subsided. She says her doctor prescribed her hydrocodone for the pain and valacyclovir to combat the virus.

Plaintiff Phyllis F. says she received the Zostavax vaccine in September 2012. In mid-June 2016, Phyllis claims she went to her doctor for treatment of swelling of her eyes and face. She was diagnosed with conjuntivochalasis, which is a condition marked by excess folds of the lining of the eye. A couple of days later, Phyllis returned to the doctor and allegedly was diagnosed with shingles on her left cheek and face that had interfered with her eye. Although she was prescribed Valtrex to treat the viral outbreak, Phyllis says she returned to the doctor less than a week later due to continuing facial shingles and eye complications.

Both women say that they were never told that being inoculated with Zostavax could result in shingles caused by vaccine. In 2008 and 2012 respectively, the women were warned that a rash or itching might develop at the injection site. They allege they received no warnings that they might develop shingles, which was the infection they were taking the injection to prevent.

According to the shingles caused by vaccine lawsuit, the Zostavax vaccine is a live-attenuated virus, and as such, creates a risk that it could cause the disease it is supposed to prevent.

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System allegedly received 1,111 reports of serious issues regarding Zostavax, including reports of shingles, post-herpetic neuralgia and eye disorders, all of which allegedly were experienced by Judith and Phyllis.

Post-herpetic neuralgia is ongoing, burning pain that lasts long after the shingles blisters have gone away.

The Shingles Caused by Vaccine Lawsuit is Case No. 9:18-cv-80715-JEM, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Fort Pierce Division.