Should I get the shingles vaccine?

Short answer: Sure- why not?

Shingles is a reactivation of chicken pox virus. When you get chicken pox as a child, you get over the pox illness. However, the virus remains dormant in your nervous system. For some reason, it can flare up in later adulthood.

The shot is one shot for life, and is recommended at over 60 years of age.

It is a live, attenuated virus which means that you should not take it if you have a condition that impairs your immune system such as AIDS, leukemia, lymphoma or bone marrow cancer. Also, you should not take it if you are on medication that suppresses your immune system such as chemotherapy or organ transplant medications.

Mind you, the vaccine probably prevents shingles about 70% of the time. However, it's probably still worthwhile since it's likely that if you get shingles even though you got the shot the outbreak will be much milder than it otherwise would have been.

Got to this link, if you'd like an explanation for why doctor offices don't give this vaccine.