This Vaccine Lowers Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke by 26% — so Why Was It Discontinued in the US?

. . .A type of herpes virus — the varicella-zoster virus — causes chickenpox in childhood and shingles later in life.

Shingles travels along nerves, triggering a distinctive blistering rash and what some have described as the worst pain they have ever experienced.

A shingles infection can cause blood vessel damage, inflammation and clot formation, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those who’ve had chickenpox are at higher risk of shingles. Experts say vaccination is the most effective way to reduce this risk.

Now, a new study out of South Korea reports that a certain type of vaccine can offer benefits beyond lowering the risk of shingles — but it’s no longer available in the US.

The live zoster vaccine, which contains a weakened version of the shingles virus, can lower the risk of heart failure, a stroke, a heart attack or death from heart disease by 26% for up to eight years, according to research published Monday in the European Heart Journal. (Read more from “This Vaccine Lowers Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke by 26% — so Why Was It Discontinued in the US?” HERE)