Shingles Vaccine available at Naval Hospital
PENSACOLA - Department of Defense’s triple option managed health care program, known as TRICARE, is now offering, to enrolled beneficiaries of Naval Hospital Pensacola and its clinics, the vaccine designed to prevent shingles.
Shingles is a painful viral disease that affects more than one million older Americans every year.
The vaccine, Zostavax, is covered under the TRICARE medical benefit, but is not reimbursable as a pharmacy benefit.
Zostavax is targeted for TRICARE Prime- and TRICARE For Life-eligible beneficiaries enrolled to the Pensacola Navy hospital and its outlying branch health clinics across five states.
The clinics include: Naval Air Station Pensacola and NAS Whiting Field, Fla.; Crane, Ind.; New Orleans; Gulfport and Meridian, Miss.; and NSA Mid-South at Millington, Tenn.
Shingles, also known as Zoster, is caused by the same virus as Chickenpox (Varicella-Zoster Virus or VZV). Shingles usually appears as a rash on the side of the face or body and can last between 2-to-4 weeks. The rash is painful and can be accompanied by fever, headache, chills and upset stomach.
The virus enters the body during the initial infection. “After the Chickenpox, due to the nature of viruses -- in this family of viruses - it remains dormant in the body and resides in nerve cells along the spinal column, says Navy Pediatrician, Cmdr. Matthew Southwick.
“The virus’ DNA remains in the body for life,” the Pensacola Naval Hospital doctor continues. “Under certain circumstances, the virus reactivates and migrates from the nerve cell’s body to the skin where it results in painful burning sores and scabs wherever that nerve runs.
“This reactivation is possible in anyone who has ever been exposed to the VZ virus and can occur several times over a lifetime. So, unlike Chickenpox, which occurs only once in a lifetime (with rare exception), Shingles can be a recurrent condition that lasts for weeks at a time,” Southwick says. “Usually this reactivation occurs during periods of stress, when the immune system is lowered and with increased frequency in people over the age of 60.”
Traditionally the initial infection occurred early in childhood when toddlers and young school aged children caught the Chickenpox. In the past 10 years, children have been exposed to the virus in a weakened state through a vaccine known as Varivax and Chickenpox has become an increasingly rare childhood illness.
The new vaccine contains an increased amount of the weakened VZ virus compared to the amount children receive in the vaccine known as Varivax. “Vaccination will dramatically decrease the likelihood of reactivation of the virus and shorten the duration of Shingles should it occur,” he says.
The vaccine is recommended for everyone age 60 and older, unless the treatment is medically inadvisable. Most people vaccinated, who suffer from this viral disease, experience less pain.
Unlike the flu vaccine, the NH Pensacola’s immunization clinic will only be providing the vaccine to patients enrolled to the hospital.
Those with minor illnesses, such as common colds, may still be vaccinated. However, anyone who is moderately or severely ill should wait until they fully recover.
Zostavax is a TRICARE benefit. Individuals not enrolled to NH Pensacola or one of its Branch Health Clinics should check with their healthcare provider on how to receive the vaccine.