News|Articles|May 12, 2022

Shingrix: Who Needs It and Who Doesn't?

A 55-year-old healthy man has a rash on his back that is diagnosed as shingles. He has never received any shingles vaccine–is he eligible now? Plus 3 more patient scenarios.

Shingrix, the only shingles vaccine now available, is recommended for routine use in adults aged ≥50 years. As with most vaccines, exceptions always seem to exist, complicating the decision-making. As they say, the devil is in the details. Let's see how “devilish” you are today, with the 4-question quiz below.

1. A 40-year-old woman with no history of varicella disease thinks she received the vaccine as a child, but no records are available. She has been diagnosed with cancer and will be starting chemotherapy in 1-2 weeks. Since immunocompromised patients are at increased risk of shingles and its complications, should this woman start her 2-dose Shingrix series?

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