Shingles

The pain was unbearable. I'm in a foreign country without my parents and I could not stand one more person telling me to stop complaining about a silly little rash. Well this alien on my side was bothering me and I had to go to the hospital. Immediately. When the doctor in Israel this summer told me that I had Shingles, I was so scared. I knew that in a severe case, Shingles could be deadly. But didn't only older people get Shingles? I'm 17 years old. This doesn't make any sense!

So I get home, go to my local doctor and get medication to help me recover. Since then, (August 2012) I have constantly told my parents to go get a Shingles shot. Luckily, they have not gotten Shingles yet, but there is always the possibility. The problem is, the FDA approved the vaccine for people ages 50 and up in March 2011. My parents are not 50 yet, and they are not getting the vaccine until they are that age. I'm so concerned. I don't want them to have to suffer through the Shingles like I had to. If there was a vaccine available, even if I was not old enough, I would try and get my hands on it to eliminate most of the risk factor of getting any kind of disease.

The world has a funny way of working. Vaccines don't always work. I know, because I had chicken pox twice after I had the chicken pox vaccine. Why are people exceptions? Why are there medical mysteries? People are born with two heads while some people are born without legs. I need to put my life in perspective when it comes to getting Shingles as opposed to a more deadly disease. If a person pays for the Shingles Vaccine, which is ten to twenty times more expensive than the flu vaccine, then does the doctor have a right to deny a person the vaccine even if they are under the recommended age of receiving the vaccine?

Prevention is so important and should be available for everyone regardless of age.