What you should know about shingles before you administer Zostavax:

• Persons born in the US before 1980 can be assumed to be immune to varicella (chickenpox) regardless of their recollection of having it
• People can’t get shingles from people with shingles
• A person who has never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine can get chickenpox from someone with singles
• Transmission of zoster may occur rarely between vaccines and susceptible contacts

Complications of shingles include:

• Bacterial infections of skin lesions
• Central nervous system manifestations
• Pneumonia (viral or bacterial)
• Hospitalization
• Postherpatic neuralgia (PHN)
• Ophthalmic zoster
• Death

What you should know about Zostavax before administering Zostavax:

• Zostavax is approved for persons 50 years of age and older regardless of prior episode of shingles
• The vaccine can prevent shingles from occurring and lessens the pain associated with shingles
• Do not administer the shingles vaccine to pregnant women, women who may be pregnant, or women who plan to become pregnant within the next 3 months
• Do not administer Zostavax to persons with a weakened immune system (ie: HIV/AIDS, chronic steroids, history of cancer affecting the bone marrow, active TB, etc)
• Store at 5°F (-15°C) or colder AT ALL TIMES and protect from light

This vaccine contains LIVE attenuated varicella virus in an amount that is 14 times greater than that in regular varicella vaccine.

• Chicken pox vaccine: Varivax = 1,400 pfu
• Shingles vaccine: Zostavax = 19,000 pfu (14x Virivax)

Zostavax should be reconstituted immediately upon removal from the freezer. The diluents should be store separately at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

To reconstitute the vaccine:

• Use only the diluents supplied
• Withdraw the entire contents of the diluents into a syringe
• Inject all of the diluents in the syringe into the vial of lyophilized vaccine and gently agitate to mix thoroughly

About administration:

• Administer within 30 minutes of reconstitution
• Use separate sterile needles for reconstitution and administration
• Zostavax when reconstituted is a semi-hazy to translucent, off-white to pale yellow liquid
• Withdraw the entire contents of the reconstituted vaccine into a syringe and inject the total volume subcutaneously
• This is a 0.65mL subcutaneous injection; it should be delivered in the deltoid region of the upper arm

No serious problems/side effects have been identified with shingles vaccine. Mild problems include redness, soreness, swelling, or itching at the injection site. Some people (~1%) may get a headache.

Zostavax is available at Prosperity Specialty Pharmacy

• The cash price (without insurance) for the vaccine is $230
• Medicare Part D pays for the vaccine
• We cannot guarantee vaccine coverage with prescription insurance other than Medicare Part D plans
• We will provide an itemized receipt to patients who wish to submit for reimbursement with their insurance company

To learn more about Zostavax, visit zostavax.com

To learn more about immunizations at Prosperity Specialty Pharmacy, click here.