Shingles Cases Dropping Among Younger Adults

(Wilmington, DE) — A new study says the chickenpox vaccine may protect against shingles. Anyone who had chickenpox as a child is at risk for developing shingles, a painful, blistering rash that usually appears on one side of the body. New data shows a sharp drop in chickenpox cases over the last three-decades, thanks to the chickenpox vaccine. Researchers say people 34 and younger may be less likely to develop shingles because they are more likely to have been vaccinated against chickenpox. The Data from Epic Research also showed that rates of shingles are rising among people 35 and over, who are more likely to have had chickenpox infection as children.