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Can a Flu shot lead to Shingles?

By Expert HERWriter October 11, 2008 - 9:42pm
 
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flu shot

dear michelle, a 76 year old friend recently had a flu shot and developed a case of shingles. any connection? coincidental? thanxs so much

Jean

Has anyone ever heard of this or had this happen to them?

Michelle

Add a Comment366 Comments

So glad you are aware of shingles and what it feels like. It does indeed sound like the first symptoms of a shingles rash. If her pain doesn't go away overnight, you might think about calling her doctor in the morning.

While there's no cure for shingles, doctors can treat it and probably give it a shorter duration and perhaps less pain. If they diagnose her as having shingles, antiviral medicine and/or steroid medicines could help her get well sooner. And they may be able to give her pain medicine or a cream to help her feel better.

Here is a Children's Hospital site on pediatric shingles:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_shingles_hhg.htm

And this New York Times article does discuss the chickenpox vaccine and the likelihood of getting shingles later. So far, it seems that the data is too young to know for sure. But there's some interesting information here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/03/health/03vaccine.html

One study reports that only 5% of cases of shingles develops in children under age 15. Let's hope your daughter isn't one of them. Please come back and let us know what you learn.

October 21, 2008 - 5:14pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I was brought to this forum after I googled shingles in a 12 year old. My daughter never had chicken pox but had the vaccine and booster. One week ago we all got our annual flu shots. Today she is crying in extreme pain on her abdomen-about 2 inches above her belly button. It is on her skin. She said it feels tingly and burning but there is nothing there. It hurts to touch it or if her shirt touches it. It sounds like when my husband had shingles about 4 years ago and than got the rash. I am very interested to learn if there is any link between the two. In the meantime I will watch and wait.

October 21, 2008 - 4:06pm

Hi, Denise:

Let's present this to our panel of medical experts. Thank you for asking this important question!

October 20, 2008 - 6:18pm

Jean,

It'll be really interesting to see if we hear more anecdotal evidence of shingles and flu shots.

The Centers for Disease Control cites only the following as side effects from the flu shot (in which the flu virus is killed/inactivated:

--Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given;
--Fever (low grade)
--Aches

And in the nasal flu shots, where the flu virus is weakened, the side effects can include:

--runny nose
--headache
--sore throat
--cough

Shingles is caused by the Herpes zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a case of chickenpox, the virus lies dormant, often for decades. The reasons it reactivates are not entirely known, though aging and weakened immune systems are often cited. Some medical reference sites list statistics that suggest for people who live to age 85, 50% will experience shingles in a lifetime. So it's certainly possible that the timing was coincidence only.

Once the shingles virus is activated, it travels along the pathways of a nerve until it reaches the skin's surface, where it ultimately results in very painful blisters.

Like Alison, I also found no documented connection between flu shots and shingles. One interesting thing, however, is the caution that people who have had Guillain-Barre syndrome should consult with a doctor before deciding to get a flu shot. Guillain-Barre is an inflammation of the nerves associated with a number of viruses, including the herpes zoster virus. Both have auto-immune connections and nerve connections.

It would be interesting to know whether your friend got the shot or the nasal vaccine; whether she had chickenpox as a child; whether she ever had Guillain Barre syndrome, or whether her immune system has been weakened by another illness.

Here's the CDC page, which also includes links to PDF fact sheets on all vaccinations:
http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/protect/keyfacts.htm

Here's an FDA page on shingles, its symptoms and its characteristics:
http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/2001/301_pox.html

Best wishes to you both. Come back and let us know more.

October 13, 2008 - 9:36am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Diane Porter)

hi! my 76 year old friend had chicken pox as a child, and received the shot exactly 2 weeks before the outbreak. no guillan barre in her history. the rash is all on her scalp and brows. she received treatment the morning after the raised areas appeared and is doing fairly well. please keep me posted if more reports come in. thanx a lot jean

October 24, 2008 - 7:01pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Diane Porter)

Hi,
I just came across this thread in a Google search trying to see if there was a connection between the flu shot and Shingles.

I am just getting over Shingles, which started two weeks to the day after my flu shot.

I know Shingles is caused by a virus lingering from previous Chicken Pox, but my case sure makes me think there was something in that flu shot that triggered the Shingles.

That being said, I will continue with my annual flu shots. I've had horrible cases of flu and would rather take my chances on a reaction to the shot rather than a full blown case of the flu.
Denise

October 20, 2008 - 5:31pm
Expert HERWriter

Hi Alison,

Thanks for the information. Let's see if we can find out more about this.

Maybe others have had this reaction with the flu shot and then getting shingles???

I'm sure we're going to find out more, since so many women have been more then willing to share with EmpowHer.

Best in health,
Michelle

October 12, 2008 - 10:58am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Michelle King Robson)

i had a flu shot and then a headache several hours later. Rare for me. I went to bed with body aches and fatigue. I thought that I was more run down than I realized knowing that I should be rested for the shot. About a week later, more muscular discomfort. I am 57, female, massage therapist, C.N.A., with a lot of body aches already.
I thought that I had a bug bite under my bra strap where the pain was. The next morning a quarter sized rash! I have shingles! Carol

September 18, 2011 - 5:39am
(reply to Michelle King Robson)

Michelle,
Two years ago I got the flu vaccine and a hepatitis vaccine on the same day. How I wish I never did that! Three days later I came down with shingles. I had been otherwise healthy. I have always believed that having two vaccines on the same day put my body under two much stress.

8 days ago my husband got the flu vaccine. About 5 days ago he became terribly ill, and today he was diagnosed with shingles. In each case there was a 3 day span between flu shot and shingles. You have to wonder.....
Robyn

January 30, 2011 - 12:02am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Michelle King Robson)

MIchelle
Despite being otherwise healthy, I got shingles 3 days after getting the flu vaccine and hepatitis vaccine on the same day (how I wish I never did that). That was 2 years ago. I have always believed there was a connection, it was not a coincidence. I think 2 shots at once put my body under too much stress.

8 days ago my husband got the flu vaccine - and - again, 3 days afterwards, he got the first symptoms of shingles. You have to wonder.
Robyn

January 29, 2011 - 11:55pm
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