Herpes Zoster Vaccine in Nursing Facility Residents: Safety Questions Remain

Abstract

Letters3 August 2010Herpes Zoster Vaccine in Nursing Facility Residents: Safety Questions RemainMichael S. Simberkoff, MD, Robert D. Arbeit, MD, Gary Johnson, MS, and Michael N. Oxman, MD, for the Shingles Prevention Study GroupMichael S. Simberkoff, MDFrom Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY 10010; Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111; Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516; and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, CA 92161.Search for more papers by this author, Robert D. Arbeit, MDFrom Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY 10010; Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111; Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516; and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, CA 92161.Search for more papers by this author, Gary Johnson, MSFrom Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY 10010; Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111; Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516; and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, CA 92161.Search for more papers by this author, and Michael N. Oxman, MDFrom Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY 10010; Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111; Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT 06516; and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego, CA 92161.Search for more papers by this author, for the Shingles Prevention Study GroupSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-3-201008030-00022 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Dr. Nace and colleagues raise questions that were not specifically addressed in the SPS (1). We agree that most nursing facility populations are heterogeneous and may include persons with recognized or unrecognized immunosuppression. Although the herpes zoster vaccine is safe for most nursing facility residents, decisions to administer it should be individualized, in accordance with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (2). However, we believe that herpes zoster vaccine can be safely administered to most nursing facility residents for several reasons.First, the vaccine is remarkably safe. As we reported, local side effects after administration ...