Taney County Health Department Offering Shingles Vaccinations

The Taney County Health Department (TCHD) is offering FREE shingles vaccines.

The full release from TCHD is below:

The Shingrix vaccine is available to Missouri residents.

To qualify for the free Shingrix vaccine, you must be:
 Age 50 or older
 Uninsured or having insurance that doesn’t cover the Shingrix vaccine
 Missouri resident 

“Shingles is caused by varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox,” states Erica Craig, Clinical Manager at TCHD. “This virus can lay dormant for many years and then activate and cause shingles.” 

According to the CDC about 1 out of every 3 people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime. If you have had chickenpox, you can get shingles. The risk of shingles increases as you get older. Shingles is a painful blistering rash that develops on one side of the face or body. The blisters typically scab over in 7 to 10 days and fully clears in 2 to 4 weeks. Shingles can cause long term complications including long term nerve pain called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN occurs in the same area where the shingles occurred and can last for months or years after the rash goes away. The pain can be so severe and debilitating it can interfere with everyday life. 

The Shingrix vaccine is 97% effective in people ages 50-69 and 91% effective in people ages 70 and older. 

For more information or to make an appointment, contact the Taney County Health Department at 417-334-4544, visit our website at www.taneycohealth.org, or like our FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest pages.