It’s hard to imagine living with a physical pain so unbearable it drives you to tears.
But for some like Nova Scotia-born Jerry Avis, the pain of shingles is excruciating and ruthless.
“At night time, I found myself up on my knees, in my bed, crying. Just by myself, crying,” he said.
READ MORE: Shingles vaccine free for Ontario seniors beginning Jan. 1
Avis always lived a healthy and active lifestyle but as he neared the age of 80, an outbreak of blisters on his chest led him to visit his doctor.
“The blisters were weeping a bit and he said, ‘Jerry, I think what you’ve got is the shingles,'” Avis said.
That diagnosis came five years ago and his life has never been the same since.
“It is so, so painful and so there all the time,” he said.
According to the head of the Infectious Disease Division at the Nova Scotia Health Authority, the shingles virus is common in older adults.
“About one in three people in their lifetime will get shingles and that increases the older you are. So, if people live to 85, about half of people will have an episode of shingles,” Shelly McNeil said.
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McNeil says about 20 per cent have lasting pain that can stretch on for years.
“It’s caused by inflammation in the nerve root that’s infected by the virus,” she said.
There’s been a vaccine available for several years that’s recommended to prevent shingles but it has limitations.
“It’s a vaccine that’s about 50 per cent effective in preventing shingles but is more effective than that in preventing this chronic pain syndrome,” said McNeil.
McNeil adds another limitation was linked to the fact that the vaccine is a “live attenuated vaccine.”
“It can’t be given to people whose immune system isn’t normal,” she said.
READ MORE: Ontario makes shingles vaccine free for seniors between 65 and 70
There’s a new vaccine available on the market, just this month.
“The new vaccine is over 90 per cent effective, even in the very elderly,” said McNeil.
While it is highly effective, it comes with a steep cost, and it isn’t covered by Nova Scotia’s publicly funded immunization program.
“On average, it’s going to be between $350 to $380 for the two doses,” McNeil said.
According to a statement from the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness: “The shingles vaccine provides a benefit to the person being immunized versus protection of the larger population because shingles is not contagious. Ontario is the only Canadian province with a shingles immunization program (for those age 65 to 70) at this time.”
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