Study Suggests Link Between Untreated Depression and Response to Shingles Vaccine

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130214075627.htm

Feb. 14, 2013 — Results from a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggest a link between untreated depression in older adults and decreased effectiveness of the herpes zoster, or shingles, vaccine. Older adults are known to be at risk for shingles, a painful condition caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, and more than a million new cases occur each year in the U.S. The vaccine boosts cell-mediated immunity to the virus and can decrease the incidence and severity of the condition.

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