Study shows Zostavax (Merck Inc.) safe for Shingles

A retrospective study of 193,083 adults shows that Zostavax, the vaccine for Herpes Zoster, from Merck Inc., is safe for preventing Shingles. The study was conducted in patients over the age of 50, between 2007 and 2008. The results reveal a small rise in local reactions to the injection which occurred from 1 to 7 days after vaccination. However once the patients were vaccinated, no higher risk was found for cardiovascular diseases, encephalitis meningitis and encephalopathy or Bell's palsy or Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. The results were published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. See: "Safety of zoster vaccine in adults from a large managed-care cohort: a Vaccine Safety Datalink study" H. F. Tseng et al. Journal of Internal Medicine, April 2012, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02474.x