this post was submitted on 03 Apr 2025
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Hmm... I just got shingles last year. Does that have a similar effect as vaccination (since the vaccine is based on an attenuated live virus, and re-infection is practically unheard-of), or does it mean I now have an elevated risk?
Who cares? It's over and done. Too late.
You are not done with this disease. It can happen to you again.
The obvious conclusion is: Get the vax.
Does it make sense to get the VAX if you already have the virus?
It lives in your nerve stems and never goes away. It just waits until your immune system is low enough to spread again.
Right, so would the vaccine help then?
I wouldn't take my word for it, but yes. It's usually from having had chickenpox as a kid, the herpes zoster virus hides dormant in your nerve stems, where the immune system cannot get to them. I'd imagine any improvement to your immune response will help keep it in check.
This is the correct answer. No, we are not doctors. Yes, it is known that shingles does NOT go away and re-occurs in about 1-10 cases if left untreated. The treatment is a highly effective vaccine that if you are of age you should definitely get regardless of if you've had a shingles flareup previously.
Yes. People who have had the flu still get the latest booster shots for it.
That's a very different set of viruses
It's just an example.
Sure, but thats like comparing apples and oranges. Every vaccine is different
That is for different reasons than shingles though.
Neuro inflammation associated with shingles raises risk, I think.