New Shingles Vaccine In High Demand, Short Supply

ST. CLOUD -- Shingles is an illness that most of us are eager to avoid. Don Burggraff of St. Cloud can attest to that first hand. He was diagnosed with shingles about a year ago.

I describe it like poison ivy with a backache, but cases do vary.  It lasted a couple months where it was pretty bad.

Burggraff says he was out of work for about a week, and he still has lingering effects from the illness.

He says he wants to get the new vaccine called Shingrix so he doesn't get shingles again, however it is in short supply right now.

CentraCare Pharmacist David Thomas says it comes in two doses about six months apart.

One patient had been vaccinated once already, did not get his second one, and then had gotten shingles in the meantime.  So one shot is probably not going to be enough, you got to try and get that second follow up shot.

He says his pharmacy has a short waiting list for the vaccine, and it is coming out slowly but surely.

Shingrix is available for people ages 50 and older.

Once you get the vaccine you don't need to get it again, however, you can get shingles over and over again if you aren't vaccinated.

Shingles occurs when the chickenpox virus is reactivated in people who previously had chickenpox.