Latest Shingles News

  • December 4, 2009
    Chickenpox vaccine may protect kids from shingles
    CHICAGO (Reuters) - Children who get vaccinated against chickenpox may have a lower risk of developing shingles, a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus, U.S. researchers said on Friday.

  • October 8, 2009
    Shingles may boost the risk of stroke: study
    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Shingles are more than just painful. A new study suggests that they may increase the risk of stroke.

  • July 23, 2009
    Vaccine struggle embodies U.S. health reform battle
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The confusion surrounding adult vaccination help illustrates some of the big problems looming for Congress as it struggles with healthcare reform legislation, doctors and health officials said on Wednesday.

  • April 3, 2009
    Prescription painkiller relieves shingles pain
    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A study shows that the powerful prescription painkiller oxycodone is an effective treatment for the sometimes excruciating pain of shingles.

  • July 3, 2008
    New approach offers chance to finally kill herpes
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday they may have found a way to flush out herpes viruses from hiding -- offering a potential way to cure pesky and painful conditions from cold sores to shingles.

  • July 2, 2008
    Tai chi helps older adults get good night's sleep
    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regular practice of tai chi chih, a Westernized version of the ancient Chinese martial art of tai chi, can help older people rest easier at night, according to a study in the journal Sleep.

  • May 19, 2008
    Shingles seen to run in families
    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Genes appear to play a role in susceptibility to shingles. People with a family history of shingles are more likely to develop the condition than those without a family history, according to a new study.

  • May 15, 2008
    U.S. recommends shingles vaccine for age 60 and up
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended that people aged 60 and older should get Merck & Co Inc's vaccine Zostavax to protect against shingles.

  • March 28, 2008
    Capsaicin patch reduces pain from HIV neuropathy
    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Treatment with a high-concentration capsaicin skin patch is a safe and well-tolerated means of reducing the neurological pain in patients with HIV infection, the results of a pilot study suggest.

  • January 23, 2008
    Too few U.S. adults get their shots, survey shows
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Only 2 percent of U.S. adults last year got a shot that can protect them from painful bouts of shingles, health officials said on Wednesday in a study that shows what they call unacceptably low rates of adult vaccination against a range of diseases.

  • January 21, 2008
    Rheumatoid arthritis raises risk for shingles
    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of herpes zoster, or shingles, a painful skin condition caused by a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, according to research on more than 160,000 individuals with RA.

  • January 9, 2008
    Shingles sends 1 million to doctors each year
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shingles sends nearly 1 million Americans to their doctors every year seeking relief from the painful symptoms the virus causes, according to U.S. government statistics released on Wednesday.

  • August 31, 2007
    Tai chi may boost immune response to flu shot
    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The traditional Chinese arts of tai chi and qigong may help boost older adults' immune response to the flu vaccine, a preliminary study suggests.

  • March 23, 2007
    Tai chi boosts immune system against shingles
    NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - A slow-movement form of exercise known as tai chi can strengthen the immune system in the elderly and boost the potency of a vaccine against the virus that causes shingles, researchers said on Friday.

  • March 15, 2007
    Effects of chickenpox vaccine fade over time: study
    BOSTON (Reuters) - Merck's chickenpox vaccine Varivax not only loses its effectiveness after a while, but it has also changed the profile of the disease in the population, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

  • February 21, 2007
    Merck ends lobbying for mandatory Gardasil vaccine
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Drugmaker Merck & Co. said on Tuesday it would stop lobbying state legislatures to make it mandatory for schoolgirls to be inoculated with its new cervical cancer vaccine.