"Jane Adrian  a landscape architect in Glendale Calif. saw her parents and two coworkers suffer from the painful blistering condition known as shingles so when the vaccine became available she got it. Even though the vaccine is only about  percent effective its better than nothing she said. Now I feel relieved.  A study of a crosssection of adults enrolled with a healthmanagement organization in southern California shows that the vaccine provides protection for many older adults without many side effects.  The findings are published in the Jan.  issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.  Shingles is caused by the herpes zoster virus and only strikes people who have had chicken pox. It usually starts as a rash on one side of the face or body often causing pain itching and tingling. About a million cases occur in the United States each year and attacks can last two to four weeks.  Even after the rash has healed the pain can last for months or even years said lead study author HungFu Tseng a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena Calif. Zostavax as the vaccine is called was approved in  based on the results of clinical trials. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the shot for eligible people aged  and older. Tsengs team wanted to test the vaccines realworld performance so they compared  vaccinated members of the Kaiser Permanente health plan to  members who elected not to have the shot. Kaiser funded the study. In vaccinated individuals the rate of shingles was . cases per  people in a year while it was twice that   per   in the unvaccinated population the investigators found.  The vaccine also reduced the risk of ophthalmic herpes zoster infection that affects the eye by  percent and hospitalization by  percent.  Those who had been vaccinated were more likely to be white female and in better overall health than the unvaccinated people the researchers noted. Lack of awareness concerns about effectiveness or safety and cost may have kept some people from getting the shot Tseng said. People  and over can consider talking to their physician about the possibility of receiving the vaccine to reduce their risk and the doctor can evaluate if they are eligible said Tseng. Patients with leukemia lymphoma HIV or an allergy to any ingredients in the vaccine are ineligible for the shot.  It does bolster our confidence that its effective in the real world said Dr. Bruce Hirsch an attending physician in infectious diseases at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset N.Y. who was not involved with the study. But the vaccine can cost a couple of hundred dollars he said perhaps making it out of reach for those with limited resources.  Because shingles is not contagious and doesnt present a risk of death Hirsch said he would recommend the flu vaccine and the pneumococcal vaccine over this one for uninsured patients who would have to pay outofpocket.  This study helps me in terms of advising patients and prioritizing Hirsch added.  While less reliable than some childhood vaccines which are usually  percent effective in preventing certain illnesses the shingles vaccination is still worthwhile said Dr. Ciro Sumaya professor of health policy and management at Texas AM Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health. I think its a very good vaccine and its a safe vaccine but obviously there needs to be continuing surveillance of usage of the vaccine to make sure there are no adverse effects that are seen in one in a  million cases versus one in five or  people said Sumaya also a member of CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.  For now he advises getting it. Its protecting against a severe disease particularly in elderly adults he said so the benefit I think is overwhelming that we should be using this because its recommended. More information  The CDC has more on the shingles vaccine http  SOURCES HungFu Tseng Ph.D. research scientist Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and Evaluation Pasadena Calif. Jane Adrian landscape architect Glendale Calif. Bruce Hirsch M.D. attending physician in infectious diseases North Shore University Hospital Manhasset N.Y. Ciro Sumaya M.D. professor of health policy and management Texas AM Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health and member U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Jan.   Journal of the American Medical Association"