Herpes zoster, commonly known as: the entangling snake. Naming it after the snake shows how scary it is. In fact, the most feared is the post-herpetic neuralgia, especially in the elderly, who have a great possibility of post-herpetic neuralgia once shingles occurs. How can we avoid shingles? The advent of the vaccine came into being. But because the shingles vaccine is relatively expensive, 1600 yuan a shot, two consecutive shots, down to more than three thousand, which is a lot of money. So many people struggle: should I get the shingles vaccine? Before discussing whether or not to get the vaccine, let’s understand what shingles is. Shingles is a skin disease caused by infection with the varicella-zoster virus. It is the same virus as chickenpox and has a sequential relationship, usually having had chickenpox as a child and only developing shingles when you grow up. If it is the same virus, why is there such a big difference in clinical manifestations? This is because the first time the body is exposed to the virus, it causes the whole body to spread, and erythema and blisters appear all over the body, and from then on, the virus stays in certain nerve roots for a long time. When the body’s immunity decreases, the virus multiplies and becomes active again, causing erythema and blisters to appear in bands in the area of the nerve that it innervates. Because of the edema of the nerve roots, it causes severe nerve pain. Because of the weakness of the elderly and the slow repair of the nerves, the neuralgia takes longer to appear than in younger people, from a few months to several years. Preventing the occurrence of shingles is the main way to avoid the development of neuralgia. When shingles occurs, the body can produce persistent specific antibodies and shingles will not occur again for a considerable period of time, so the probability of a second occurrence of shingles in a person’s lifetime is very low. Combining the characteristics of the onset of shingles and the immunological properties of the vaccine, the following table is summarized, and you can refer to the table and compare it with your own situation to decide whether to receive the vaccine or not. As vaccines are biological agents, there are certain risks, and a comprehensive assessment must be made by the vaccinating doctor before vaccination to determine whether it is suitable.