The Claim:
Steve Kirsch, the inventor of the optical mouse, says a new paper shows that people who get the shingles vaccine are 11 times more likely to get shingles.
The Facts:
This paper does not exactly match the claims. It found that after the first dose of the shingles vaccine, adults age 65 and older had a small, short-term increase in shingles cases during the first 21 days. After that, the risk goes away. After the second dose, the overall risk of getting shingles drops by 73%.
Even during that short period of higher risk, the shingles cases were rare (about 6.3 out of 1,000 people) and usually mild. There was no increase in serious pain (called postherpetic neuralgia), no rise in antiviral medication use, and no increase in hospital visits.
Most importantly, the researchers said that the long-term benefits of the shingles vaccine are much greater than the small, temporary risks seen after the first dose.
Disclaimer
Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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