Zostavax, made by Merck, reduced risk of getting shingles by 55% in clinical trials, the CDC says.
But Merck spokeswoman Pamela Eisele told USA TODAY on Tuesday that the company won't be able to fill many orders until April. USA TODAY contacted the company after several readers said they couldn't get the vaccine.
Nearly one out of three people in the USA will develop shingles, a painful and potentially serious condition also known as herpes zoster. Adults who had chickenpox as a child are at risk. Both Zostavax and chickenpox vaccine Varivax are made with varicella, the virus that causes both diseases.
Merck must "prioritize" which vaccine to make, because of a limited supply of varicella, Eisele said. "Merck's first priority is the childhood vaccine."
A Jan. 11 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente recommended most Americans 60 and up get the one-time vaccine. Not all insurance or Medicare covers the $150-$300 cost.
Physician Rafael Harpaz, head of the CDC's division of viral diseases and co-author of the report, said he had not been aware of a shortage until contacted by USA TODAY. But he said a shortage would create "real challenges to our program and cause frustration to physicians and patients alike."
The shortages could lead to unnecessary outbreaks among the elderly and "devastating pain," says physician Sharon Brangman, president of the American Geriatrics Society.
"It's hard to try to raise public awareness about this vaccine and then have the shortage," she says. "It's all about prevention."
Shingles starts as a numbness, tingling or itching and develops into a rash, CDC says. The rash eventually blisters and can sometimes lead to a painful condition known as post-herpetic neuralgia. In severe cases, the virus can also affect the eyes and cause blindness.
SHINGLES VACCINE: What you need to know
Spreading the word about prevention to the 77 million Baby Boomers — the first of whom turn 65 this year — is crucial, says Juanita Watts, a Kaiser Permanente family-care physician near San Diego.
Kate Gooderham, 60, of Fort Myers, Fla., is one of the readers who contacted USA TODAY. She says after seeing her old brother and several friends suffer from shingles, she called her doctor in December to find out about getting the vaccine, and was put on a waiting list.
"I was told there was a shortage then," she says. "They called me in late January and said they received three doses and wouldn't be getting any more until April."
Merck's website helps people locate pharmacies offering adults vaccines.
The vaccine is not recommended for children, women who are pregnant, those with HIV or AIDS, or people who are allergic to gelatin.
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