Many aging Americans are encouraged to receive a vaccine to prevent shingles, a painful, inflammatory disease that can appear in older adults. However, a common vaccine, the Zostavax shingles vaccine, has been reportedly causing serious side effects in some patients.

One Florida man has filed a Zostavax shingles vaccine lawsuit against the makers of the vaccine, Merck, claiming that even after he received this vaccine, he “suffered serious physical, emotional, and economic damages as a result of his shingles and associated injuries.”

Plaintiff Curtis H. says he was inoculated in 2012 with the Zostavax shingles vaccine which was intended for the long term prevention of herpes zoster, or more commonly known as shingles.

Shingles is a painful inflammation of the nerve ganglia and is caused by the same virus as chicken pox. Its symptoms begin with a rash accompanied by pain. This rash develops into painful blisters, often around the middle of the body which can then spread to the rest of the body. A person with a rash and pain around the middle of the body should call their doctor.

Because of the possibility of this condition, many individuals opt for a vaccine. Curtis, however, claims he developed shingles four years after receiving this Zostavax shingles vaccine. His doctor prescribed him additional medications to manage the symptoms of his shingles.

According to his Zostavax shingles vaccine lawsuit, Curtis believes he contracted shingles because of the vaccine itself. The Zostavax shingles vaccine contains a small amount of the live virus, as do most vaccines. He says that he “suffered from shingles, its painful and persistent physical injuries and damages, and other serious injuries as a direct and proximate result of being inoculated with the Zostavax vaccine.”

He alleges that his injuries have required extensive medical care and treatment and caused him to pay for significant medical expenses.

Other individuals have reported other adverse side effects after receiving the Zostavax shingles vaccine. These side effects include myelitis (a spinal cord inflammation), hearing loss, Bell’s Palsy, stroke, congestive heart failure, vision problems including blindness, eye infections and retinal damage. Other serious side effects include cardiovascular events, pain after shingles blisters subside (postherpetic neuralgia), pneumonia, vasculitis and autoimmune disorders such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating, Polyneuropathy, and Meniere’s Disease.

These side effects have been reported up to six months after receiving the Zostavax shingles vaccine. However, patients like Curtis allege drug manufacturer Merck failed to warn about these more serious side effects, instead reporting a more limited number of milder side effects. By 2016, the Zostavax shingles vaccine label included warnings about vision loss and eye inflammation.

The FDA’s VAERS, or Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, also mentions other possible Zostavax shingles side effects that include rashes, gastrointestinal disorders, myalgia, arthralgia, anaphylactic reactions, and necrotizing retinitis.

This Zostavax Shingles Vaccine Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-00051-MW-GRJ in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Florida, Gainesville Division.