Vaccine against chickenpox has a secondary benefit

(SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES)

A large new study points to an added bonus of the chickenpox vaccine: “dramatically” lower rates of shingles. Researchers found that children who were vaccinated against the virus that causes chickenpox had a 78% lower rate of shingles than children who had contracted the virus, varicella. And as more children got vaccinated over the course of the 12-year study, the rate of shingles among all children included in the study fell by 72%. Shingles is a delayed complication of varicella infection and causes painful rashes that can lead to long-term nerve pain. More here.