The Health Department has a limited supply of shingles vaccine and is offering it to residents and city employees over the age of 60 years.
The shingles vaccine will be offered free, regardless of insurance coverage. Please contact the Health Department at 978-282-8022 if you are interested in the vaccine or have any questions. Shingles is a painful localized skin rash often with blisters that is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles because VZV remains in the nerve cells of the body after the chickenpox infection clears and VZV can reappear years later causing shingles. Shingles most commonly occurs in people 50 years old or older, people who have medical conditions that keep the immune system from working properly, or people who receive immunosuppressive drugs.