Up to one in three people will have a shingles episode in their life time. Neuralgia, or nerve pain, is the most common complication. This pain may be felt for several months, even years, along the affected nerve. The risk for neuralgia increases with age and in people with weakened immune systems.
Each year, Québec accounts for around 27,000 shingles cases, along with 600 hospitalizations and 10 deaths caused by shingles.
Vaccination reduces the risk for developing shingles, but also the risk for neuralgia following a shingles episode.
