People 60 and older should get a one-time shingles shot that can help prevent the painful rash, U.S. health officials are recommending.

There’s a 50-50 chance the shot will prevent shingles for those 60 and up, though the odds get worse the older you get. But shingles can be severe for some people, and the government believes it’s worth the $160-per-dose cost.

We ask Fox News Medical Contributor, Dr. Marc Siegel, about some frequently asked questions regarding shingles and the vaccine.
Q: If I’ve had chicken pox can I still get shingles? 
A: Yes – in fact, shingles is reactivation of the same virus that causes chicken pox. IF you HAVEN”T had chicken pox, then you don’t get shingles, but adult chicken pox which is a diffuse rash.

Q: Who is at risk for shingles? 
A: Anyone who has had chicken pox is at risk. But we are especially concerned for elderly or those with chronic diseases.

Q: How can you get shingles? 
A: You don’t actually “get” shingles. It is the reactivation of a virus that is lying dormant in your body since when you had chicken pox.

Q: Can you get shingles more than once?
A: Yes – you can have it several times.

Q: Can the vaccine be given to someone who has already had shingles?
A: Yes it can be – the CDC is currently testing its effectiveness in this regard, but it is believed to be effective.

Q: Does the vaccine have any side effects?
A: Malaise, flu like symptoms, local eruption, same as other common vaccines – nothing long term or significant

Q: What are the long term effects of shingles if not treated?
A: It may go completely away, but it can also cause post herpetic neuralgia (significant pain syndrome) in the region, or if on the face, can effect the eye or vision.

Q: How is shingles treated?
A: Can’t be cured, but symptoms can be lessened with acyclovir (products Famvir, Valtrex, Zovirax), and sometimes local lidocaine patch can reduce pain.

Shingles is caused by the Herpes Zoster virus (the same that causes chicken pox). Dr. Siegel says that the vaccine is effective in 50% and lasts for 4 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says an outbreak of salmonella has been linked to contaminated dry dog food for the first time ever. 

CDC officials say dry dog food may be an under-recognized source of illness in humans, and they are unsure how the bacteria got into the dog food. Usually, Salmonella comes from undercooked meats and eggs.

“They are a number of possible ways that that could happen,” said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a CDC epidemiologist, who co-authored a report on the finding. “That’s something we are still trying to figure out.”

Humans became infected with Salmonella in 2006 and 2007 from dry dog food produced by Mars Petcare in Pennsylvania. Dogs were not affected, according to the May 16 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, but a number of those affected were infants.

“The most important thing is to wash your hands right after you handle any dry dog food, any other pet food, pet treats, even supplements or vitamins,” Barton Behravesh said. “In addition, keep infants and other young children away from pet food, because kids tend to want to see what their dogs are eating and grab at the pet food and play with it or even put it in their mouth.”

A three-year-old Rhett Lamb boy has fallen asleep for the first time in his life.  This after, doctors performed an experimental surgery to fix his rare brain condition called chiari malformation.

The condition puts pressure on his brain stem.  The surgery allowed doctors to remove pieces of bone from the Florida boy’s skull and spine to relieve the pressure off his brain stem.

The surgery appeared to have worked, Rhett’s father, David said Thursday.

“Last night, we didn’t wake up,” David Lamb said. “It was amazing.”

A new study found that breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient. 

The skin makes vitamin D from ultraviolet light. Too much sunlight can raise the risk of skin cancer.  But some doctors say small amounts - 15 minutes or so a few times a week without sunscreen - may be beneficial.

Pruthviraj Patil has tried a many things to cure himself of the hypertrichosis that ails him, but to no avail.

Hypertrichosis, a rare genetic condition that is also known as Werewolf Syndrome, causes 11-year-old Pruthviraj’s body to be covered with thick, matted hair, reports London’s Daily Telegraph.

Pruthviraj, who is from the district of Sangli, near Bombay, India, is one of 50 people in the world who suffers from the condition, according to the newspaper.

An amazing discovery in Greece.  A 9-year-old girl went to the hospital suffering from stomach pains.  Doctors say she was actually carrying her embryonic twin in her somtach. 

Doctors at Larissa General Hospital examined the girl and surgically removed a growth they later discovered was an embryo about six centimeters (more than two inches) long.

“They could see on the right side that her belly was swollen, but they couldn’t suspect that this tumor would hide an embryo,” hospital director Iakovos Brouskelis said.

A study out of the New England Journal of Medicine finds that people suffering from migraines and depression need to be careful when mixing medication for the two.

Researchers from Georgetown University and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detailed 11 cases of serotonin syndrome associated with the use of triptans.

This syndrome happens when more than one medication is taken that affects the level of serotonin. Symptoms include mental status changes, overactive reflexes, muscle spasms, fever, heavy sweating, nausea, nausea or vomiting.

Those especially at risk are people who take a class of medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro and Prozac, along with migraine medications such as Imitrex, Zomig, Maxalt, Axert and Frova.

Are you confused when you go to the drug store to choose an allergy medication for quick and lasting relief? You are not alone!

Choosing an Allergy Treatment

Medications to treat your allergies can be both non prescription (OTC) or prescription drugs.  Some are once a day and others are twice or three times a day. 

One of the most important OTC allergy medications includes antihistamines.  They are generally the primary treatment for those who seek non prescription relief of sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes.  They have been on the market for decades and in general are fast acting, and even better when used before the “misery” begins.   Some of the older (first generation antihistamines) cause side effects including drowsiness and impairment as well as drying of the eyes, nose and throat.  More recently there are now OTC antihistamines that are truly non-sedating that provide relief for up to for 24 hours.

Decongestants work to treat nasal and sinus congestion.  There are oral and nasal decongestants.  Side effects are common.  Overuse of nasal decongestants for more than 3-5 days will induce a “rebound congestion” that requires discontinuing the spray and treatment by a medical provider.  Oral antihistamine-decongestants can provide allergy relief especially when nasal congestion and stuffiness is a prominent symptom. 

Non medicated approaches to treatment include the use of nasal and sinus saline (salt water) washes. These store bought as well as home-made saline solutions have become quite popular to irrigate your nose and sinuses, especially if you have chronic sinus disease and/or infection. 

Go to the following resources for more in depth information on treatment of your eye allergies by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

Go to The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology for tips and information on allergy medications

Other helpful links:

http://www.aaaai.org/patients/advocate/2003/spring/therapies.stm

http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/rhinitis.stm

Your health provider and or allergy specialist can help you decide on appropriate OTC as well as prescription allergy medications when needed.

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

Health authorities said a 70-year-old woman died and a 57-year-old man is critically ill in a Boston hospital after each was given a kidney from an infected donor, reports The Boston Globe.

The kidney was infected with a hard-to-detect virus, health officials said, which came from a 49-year-old homeless man who suffered irreversible brain damage and cardiac arrest.

The donor carried a germ called lymphocytic choriomenigitis virus, which is most often transmitted by rodents and usually unnoticed by healthy people who do not suffer anything more than flu-like symptoms, according to the newspaper.

The virus also killed three transplants patients in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in 2005.

Organs perish quickly and they are tested for diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis and herpes, but not usually viruses such as lymphocytic choriomenigitis. And, since the demand for organs is so great, recipients will often take the organs of homeless people, the newspaper said.

Man’s best friend will soon be getting bone marrow transplants.  The Vancouver Sun says Washington State University in Seattle will start offering them to canines with lymphoma this summer.

Veterinary Oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Bryan says over the years the procedure has been done experimentally in dogs. 

Bone marrow transplants have been done routinely for humans in the past two decades and save thousands of lives, so Bryan believes it can do the same for dogs.

But, it won’t be cheap – the procedure will cost $20,000.

“This represents a big giveback to the canine species,” Bryan said.