Time to talk about shingles again

ODESSA – Odessa Clinic manager Barbara Schlimmer has a couple of questions for the local population, “Are you 50 or older? Do you know somebody 50 or older?”

The reason she asks is because shingles is a painful rash illness that can lead to long-term nerve pain that, in some cases, can last years after the shingles rash disappears. This nerve pain can limit daily activity for many years afterward.

Shingles is not a one-time-only condition. It can re-occur throughout a lifetime. As we get older, the risk of shingles and its resulting complications increases. Therefore, vaccination is recommende...