Shingles is a painful skin rash, that usually appears around your chest and back, but can also affect your legs or face. It appears on only one side of your body.
Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. The Shingles vaccine protects against herpes zoster (shingles) infection.
About one-third of people will develop shingles in their lifetime; 50% by the time they reach age 85 years.
The best way to prevent shingles is to get vaccinated.
The shingles vaccine is a two dose vaccine given at least one month apart.
Shingles vaccination is FREE for 12 months once you turn 65 for enrolled patients. As long as you receive your first dose when you are 65, your second dose will still be free, even if you get it after you turn 66. Call us to find out more.
To book your Shingles Vaccinations call our clinic on 033148504
Who's eligibile for FREE Shingles vaccination:
After you recover from chickenpox, the virus stays in your body. It moves to the roots of your nerve cells (near the spinal cord) and becomes inactive (dormant). Later, if the virus becomes active again, shingles is the name given to the symptoms it causes.
You can only get shingles if you’ve had chickenpox in the past (usually as a child). While anyone who has recovered from chickenpox may develop shingles, the risk of shingles increases as you get older.
It is not known what exactly causes the virus to become active again, but the risk of getting shingles is greater in people with a weakened immune system.
You can’t catch shingles from someone else. However, if you’ve never had chickenpox, or received the chickenpox vaccine, you can catch chickenpox from close contact with someone who has shingles, because the shingles blisters contain the chickenpox virus.
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Amberley Medical Centre provides equitable medical and emergency care for our patients and our community.
Monday - Friday: 8am - 6pm
Urgent Care Clinic
Saturday: 9.30am - 12.30pm
CLOSED: Sundays and Public Holidays