Vaccine for common infection tough to find in Pittsburgh

While there's a vaccine for the shingles virus, people are having a lot of trouble finding it because of a shortage.

Shingles is an incredibly painful rash and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of three people will develop shingles at some point in their life.

Shingrix is a new type of shingles vaccine that is proven to be up to 90 percent effective. Patients need two doses -- if they can find them.

Vaccine maker GlaxoSmithKline announced last month a $100 million investment in its Montana plant to help meet demand for Shingrix.

Doctors suggest the vaccine to anyone over the age of 50, even if they’ve already had shingles before.

People who recently had shingles have a strong immunity to the virus, according to doctors, but they should get the vaccine a year later.

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Cox Media Group