The Chickenpox/Shingles Charade

Vaccines have been introduced to counteract problems caused by old vaccines. The chickenpox vaccine contributed to a herpes zoster (shingles) epidemic that may last for more than 50 years.

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a reactivation of varicella zoster, the chickenpox virus, and only affects those previously infected with chickenpox. Although most people recover completely from chickenpox, the virus never leaves the body, and especially as people age, the virus can become active again and reappear as “shingles.”

Shingles appears as a painful rash or group of blisters on one side of the body, and usually lasts for two to four weeks. Although shingles usually resolves on its own without intervention, some treatments exist to reduce the duration of the symptoms, as well as to prevent a possible severe complication known as postherpetic neuralgia.

Although you can't “catch” shingles from someone who is infected, you can come down with chickenpox if you've never had it before. Also, shingles is much more common in those over 50.

It was previously thought that the weaker immune systems of the elderly contributed to this higher rate of shingles, but recent evidence indicates that it's more likely because they have less contact with children affected with chickenpox.

When most adults (who have already had chickenpox) come into contact with children infected with the virus, their immunity is naturally and asymptomatically boosted, protecting them from shingles.

According to this study, “The peculiar age distribution of zoster may in part reflect the frequency with which the different age groups encounter cases of varicella.” Attacks of zoster are postponed when these periodic encounters occur. Also, even the CDC acknowledges that those who have been vaccinated against chickenpox are still susceptible to shingles.

Before widespread use of the chickenpox vaccine, there were estimated to be 500,000 shingles cases in the US each year. During the period of increasing varicella vaccination, beginning in 1998, HZ among adults increased by 90%.

According to a 2004 CDC report, the number of shingles cases in 2002 was 33% than in 2001 and 56% than 2000. This study, a review of the US universal varicella vaccination program, stated the problem quite clearly:

HZ morbidity costs have exceeded the cost savings from varicella-disease reductions. Universal varicella vaccination has not proven to be cost-effective as increased HZ morbidity has disproportionately offset cost savings associated with reductions in varicella disease. Universal varicella vaccination has failed to provide long-term protection from VZV disease.

Neil Miller summarizes the predicament:

Apparently, there is a societal benefit when chickenpox remains endemic. When the wild-type varicella virus is permitted to circulate naturally throughout society, adults receive beneficial periodic exposures to the virus boosting their immune systems and helping to suppress the reactivation of herpes zoster.

However, as more and more children are vaccinated with the synthetic or manufactured chickenpox virus, the natural virus becomes less pervasive and there are fewer opportunities for adults to receive these periodic boosts. This has led to much higher rates of shingles in Americans.

The FDA, CDC and vaccine manufacturers “traded” chickenpox, a relatively mild childhood disease, for a much more serious ailment that affects adults. Studies have shown the cost alone for this mistake may be astronomical:

We estimate universal varicella vaccination has the impact of an additional 14.6 million (42%) HZ cases among adults aged <50 years during a 50 year time span at a substantial cost burden of 4.1 billion US dollars or 80 million US dollars annually utilizing an estimated mean healthcare provider cost of 280 US dollars per HZ case.

Dr. Gary Goldman, an expert on the varicella virus, was hired in 1995 by the CDC to monitor the new chickenpox vaccine. According to Goldman:

Due to the universal varicella vaccination program whereby every healthy child is vaccinated at age 12 months, there are no longer the seasonal outbreaks of varicella that occurred in schools and communities. These annuals outbreaks and exposures (called exogenous exposures) played a significant role in boosting cell-mediated immunity to help suppress the reactivation of herpes zoster among children and adults who had a previous history of natural or wild-type varicella.

Goldman continues:

The universal varicella vaccination program in the US...will leave our population vulnerable to shingles epidemics...there appears to be no way to avoid a mass epidemic of shingles lasting as long as several generations among adults.

According to Goldman, the CDC is more than aware about the problem, and that when he approached them with his concerns, they replied that “any possible shingles epidemic associated with the chickenpox vaccine can be offset by treating adults with a shingles vaccine.”

By 2006, the FDA had licensed Zostavax, a vaccine designed to reduce the risk of shingles. Incredibly, Merck, the same company that makes Varivax (the chickenpox vaccine), is also manufacturing Zostavax. Such an apparent conflict of interest is accepted without question, even though the very “success” of Varivax is contributing to the need for yet another product.

As a result of Goldman's research, it's quite clear how dangerous it is to create new vaccines to treat problems caused by old vaccines. He asserts:

The shingles vaccine serves as a vaccine to offset the initial deleterious effects associated with the similar and related varicella vaccine. It will be difficult to replicate the protection against shingles that existed naturally in the community when incidence of chickenpox was high.

Using a shingles vaccine to control shingles epidemics in adults would likely fail because adult vaccination programs have rarely proved successful. There appears to be no way to avoid a mass epidemic of shingles lasting as long as several generations among adults.

As for the vaccine's effectiveness when first released, even according to Merck, Zostavax was only 51% effective at “reducing the risk” of developing HZ in those aged 60-69. Efficacy drops to 41% in those 70-79, and is merely 18% above 80.

Several conflicts of interest also surround Merck and the HZ vaccine. Merck participated in the organization of oversight activities and monitored the progress of the primary study used to justify licensing the vaccine.

Several authors of the study received consultation fees, lecture fees, or honoraria from Merck. Others received grant support from Merck or owned stock in Merck—all while concurrently overseeing important aspects of the study requiring complete objectivity. Two of the researchers were actively involved in this study while having “partial interests in relevant patents.” Still others were employees of Merck.

A member of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Dr. William Schaffner, even received financial payment from Merck to discuss Zostavax with reporters. Neil Miller notes how this truly should be considered unacceptable:

This questionable practice lowers public confidence in the high ethical standards that should be required and are expected from the custodians of our healthcare system. It also encourages public cynicism towards media coverage of all vaccine-related news.

How can we trust any claim pertaining to vaccine safety and efficacy when custodians of our healthcare system are receiving money from the drug companies they are commissioned to oversee? A functional system of healthcare checks and balances is imperative.