I am also an internist who put off getting the Zoster vaccine - my husband who is never ill had a miserable two weeks with each dose. Then I got shingles. I would endure almost anything rather than going through that again.
Dr. Topol, TY as always for a timely, helpful summary. As a 50 year-old physician, I'm particularly attentive to the study findings (for personal reasons + for professional education I do on vaccines). Grateful for the hopefulness we see fr protection from varicella reactivation via vaccination. I appreciate your humble, honest truth-sharing about your previous hesitancy re: varicella vaccination and your narrative around the experience. I think thoughtful, personal interrogation into why we get vaccines makes sense, especially as medically trained ppl. Increasingly, IMO we need to take a very individualistic approach to helping support vaccinations and vaccination planning for everyone. Broadcasting blanket recommendations comes off as non-thinking in this time w an enormity of communication nuance we have.
This summary (and collection of data) is a lovely vaccination story that is dumb to ignore! Especially now, as we see hesitancy for vaccines rising for various reasons that can at times stem up from a feeling or source that lacks"reason."
Many of my friends are dealing with elders developing various forms of dementia, and as my contemporaries and I all enter our 6th decade, our natural focus on anti-aging has begun to take up huge bandwidth in our conversations. We all anticipate your book.
Further, with a preponderance of attention in the media on menopause right now (a good thing) & the brain fogginess many of us can feel, awareness of long COVID and changes to mentation that may come from infectious exposures, this affords hope esp for women because there is something to do -- we have a vaccine that reduces not only risk of pesky shingles but dementia. Feeling lucky to have turned 50 years old!
I have had shingles flareups many times for decades, all in one very localized spot on my body. They have not appeared anywhere else on my body. But in view of the reports on the vaccine's possible effects on dementia, I have now decided to get the vaccine. I have not had a bad reaction to either flu or Covid vaccines at all. But I am suffering the effects of Long Covid. Thanks for the information.
Taking a leap in offer a tidbit... caution...not a diagnosis. I have encounter surprising 4 individuals who mistakenly believed their "frequent flare-ups" blisters/nerve pain were the result of varicella...in fact it was a different virus involving the pudental nerve. JJF Phm 🇨🇦
I think the emerging connection between vaccination and reduced dementia risk will have a significant effect on persuading anti-vaxxers to change their minds. Few people have experience with vaccine preventable illness. But many have a loved one to who suffers/suffered from dementia.
Hi, I was excited to buy the ebook on bookshop.org to support independent booksellers and to get out of the amazon ecosystem, but.... they can only be read in their app or a web browser. I need to read on my e-ink reader, so it's a no-go for me. Just in case you were not aware of this rather severe limitation!
Great review thank you. I came to much the same conclusions reading this study, though your analysis is much more granular and dovetails with your new book quite well. I plan to get the Shingrix shots this year (turning 50). Family doc. It is one of the more potentially reactogenic shots like you were dreading... but provides a good excuse to duck out of household chores and catch up on reading and streaming :)
Will be very interesting to see the results of valacyclovir protocol. I think this is the trial, right?
I receive truly no direct reimbursement for giving any vaccine & as travel medicine consultant I frequently tell clients what they don't require e.g. other than adventure tourism Help B vaccination is often not a benefit but Hep A yes.
As would those clinicians who had patients that did not our could not receive Zostavax & developed an acute episode of Shingles, the 30%+ likelihood of PHN compounds the initial sx's. I had this observation pre-Shingrix with a couple MM patients 😢
So theirs my rant...I don't disagree that some are relegated to the couch for a day or two with unpleasant side effects, the positive aspects of being vaccinated, outweigh the downside.
Those vaccinated must obtain the oral antiviral ASAP post outbreak.
I am curious and may not phrase the question correctly yet the patients from the study including those from Wales were each side of their 80th birthday.
Given Zostavax was much less effective in those older than age 60 (50:50 seroconversion in those vaccinated post 60 yr's...I stand corrected) might one infer the published data could lend to a more positive response/benefit in the 60-80 age group?
I am also an internist who put off getting the Zoster vaccine - my husband who is never ill had a miserable two weeks with each dose. Then I got shingles. I would endure almost anything rather than going through that again.
Dr. Topol, TY as always for a timely, helpful summary. As a 50 year-old physician, I'm particularly attentive to the study findings (for personal reasons + for professional education I do on vaccines). Grateful for the hopefulness we see fr protection from varicella reactivation via vaccination. I appreciate your humble, honest truth-sharing about your previous hesitancy re: varicella vaccination and your narrative around the experience. I think thoughtful, personal interrogation into why we get vaccines makes sense, especially as medically trained ppl. Increasingly, IMO we need to take a very individualistic approach to helping support vaccinations and vaccination planning for everyone. Broadcasting blanket recommendations comes off as non-thinking in this time w an enormity of communication nuance we have.
This summary (and collection of data) is a lovely vaccination story that is dumb to ignore! Especially now, as we see hesitancy for vaccines rising for various reasons that can at times stem up from a feeling or source that lacks"reason."
Many of my friends are dealing with elders developing various forms of dementia, and as my contemporaries and I all enter our 6th decade, our natural focus on anti-aging has begun to take up huge bandwidth in our conversations. We all anticipate your book.
Further, with a preponderance of attention in the media on menopause right now (a good thing) & the brain fogginess many of us can feel, awareness of long COVID and changes to mentation that may come from infectious exposures, this affords hope esp for women because there is something to do -- we have a vaccine that reduces not only risk of pesky shingles but dementia. Feeling lucky to have turned 50 years old!
Thanks Wendy Sue! Agree with all your points. Great to get your feedback here.
I have had shingles flareups many times for decades, all in one very localized spot on my body. They have not appeared anywhere else on my body. But in view of the reports on the vaccine's possible effects on dementia, I have now decided to get the vaccine. I have not had a bad reaction to either flu or Covid vaccines at all. But I am suffering the effects of Long Covid. Thanks for the information.
Taking a leap in offer a tidbit... caution...not a diagnosis. I have encounter surprising 4 individuals who mistakenly believed their "frequent flare-ups" blisters/nerve pain were the result of varicella...in fact it was a different virus involving the pudental nerve. JJF Phm 🇨🇦
I think the emerging connection between vaccination and reduced dementia risk will have a significant effect on persuading anti-vaxxers to change their minds. Few people have experience with vaccine preventable illness. But many have a loved one to who suffers/suffered from dementia.
My closest woman friend died with Alzheimer's last year and she was five years younger than I am. However, her mother also had it.
Very surprised that as a doctor you’d be hesitant about getting the shingles vaccine!
IF you knew the experiences of some friends of mine after getting it, along with my bad acute reactions to Covid shots, you'd understand.
I have never had a bad reaction to a vaccine.
Hi, I was excited to buy the ebook on bookshop.org to support independent booksellers and to get out of the amazon ecosystem, but.... they can only be read in their app or a web browser. I need to read on my e-ink reader, so it's a no-go for me. Just in case you were not aware of this rather severe limitation!
Thansk Sue. I din't know that and will alert the publisher about that limitation.
Great review thank you. I came to much the same conclusions reading this study, though your analysis is much more granular and dovetails with your new book quite well. I plan to get the Shingrix shots this year (turning 50). Family doc. It is one of the more potentially reactogenic shots like you were dreading... but provides a good excuse to duck out of household chores and catch up on reading and streaming :)
Will be very interesting to see the results of valacyclovir protocol. I think this is the trial, right?
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7045215/
I receive truly no direct reimbursement for giving any vaccine & as travel medicine consultant I frequently tell clients what they don't require e.g. other than adventure tourism Help B vaccination is often not a benefit but Hep A yes.
As would those clinicians who had patients that did not our could not receive Zostavax & developed an acute episode of Shingles, the 30%+ likelihood of PHN compounds the initial sx's. I had this observation pre-Shingrix with a couple MM patients 😢
So theirs my rant...I don't disagree that some are relegated to the couch for a day or two with unpleasant side effects, the positive aspects of being vaccinated, outweigh the downside.
Those vaccinated must obtain the oral antiviral ASAP post outbreak.
I am curious and may not phrase the question correctly yet the patients from the study including those from Wales were each side of their 80th birthday.
Given Zostavax was much less effective in those older than age 60 (50:50 seroconversion in those vaccinated post 60 yr's...I stand corrected) might one infer the published data could lend to a more positive response/benefit in the 60-80 age group?
Warm regards, JJF Phm 🇨🇦