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Shingles Vaccine For HIV+
Mar 30, 2009
When will the new approved Shingles Vaccine be available For HIV+??? I had shingles once 2 years and my Dr. told me to take valtrex to stop it from coming back, like many patients, i am not perfect, and i am not taking the valtrex because I have enough problems with just Atripla even after ten months. When will the new approved Shingles Vaccine be available For HIV+??? Please help.
Thanks
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Response from Dr. McGowan
Thanks for your question.
Current CDC Guidelines state that the Shingles (or Zoster) vaccine should not be given to Persons with AIDS or other clinical manifestations of HIV, including persons with CD4+ counts less than 200.
The vaccine is licensed only for people over the age of 60, so it is not clear if it should be used for people with HIV at a younger age.
There is a clinical trial called ACTG 5247 which is planned to give zoster vaccine to people with HIV and CD4 counts above 200 (half of participants with CD4 200 to 349, and half with CD4 counts above 350) to test it for safety and effectiveness. It would be best to wait to see the results of that study before making any recommendations.
Best,
Joe
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