I have cruise radio on a fair bit now (yeah I feel like I'm 80, but its less talking than FM stations do even on digital.)
anyways - I get to hear a fair amount of ads for funeral homes, and shingles vaccinations. It's probably because I am listening to old farts station, but I don't remember ever hearing so much about shingles until recently. Now it's on radio all of the time, and on social feeds etc. has there been a case rise for shingles? or is it the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon?
DuckDuckGo says...
"Since 2008, the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended most Americans aged 60 and older get the shingles vaccine. A newer recommendation was issued in 2018 with the licensure of a new vaccine: now most Americans age 50 and older are recommended to get Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted (trade name Shingrix, manufactured by GSK).
In adults 50-69 years old, Shingrix reduces the risk of shingles by more than 96%. For those 70 and older, the vaccine is 91.3% effective at preventing shingles. It similarly reduces the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia.
The antigen in Shingrix is a surface protein of the varicella zoster virus produced by culturing genetically engineered Chinese hamster ovary cells. Vaccination consists of two doses of vaccine, given at months 0 and 2-6.
The older shingles vaccine is a live, attenuated vaccine. It was licensed in 2006. The generic name of the vaccine is Zoster Vaccine, Live (trade name Zostavax). It is still available, although Shingrix is recommended over Zostavax because of its superior effectiveness and duration of protection."
I would say "follow the money." Who is paying for all the ads? We're getting bombarded here in NZ too. I suspect all paths lead back to GlaxoSmithKline.