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Although the herpes zoster vaccine is safe and effective in lowering incidence of herpes zoster in older adults, its nationwide uptake has been slower than experts had hoped (NEJM JW Gen Med Jun 8 2010). To reassure clinicians about the vaccine's safety for all recipients, researchers revisited data from the large placebo-controlled study that first established the vaccine's efficacy in older adults (age, ≥60; NEJM JW Gen Med Jun 14 2005).
At the conclusion of that study, all placebo recipients, some of whom had developed zoster while enrolled in the study, were offered open-label vaccination. Almost all of them accepted. Compared with the >13,000 placebo recipients who had not had zoster, the 420 with documented episodes during the 3 months…