Hurt by Zostavax Vaccine
Zostavax vaccines cause the very thing they were supposed to prevent– the painful disease of shingles. The manufacturer of the vaccine, Merck, knew or should have known of the risks and reactions associated with their product and provided appropriate warnings. Serious side effects can occur months after a dose of Merck’s Zostavax shingles vaccine.
The Shingles Virus
The virus that causes shingles is a version of herpes called zoster. Chickenpox is the childhood version of a similar virus. Early signs of shingles include burning, itching, and stinging with pain in the area where the rash develops. After four of five days, fluid-filled blisters erupt in a single stripe along a nerve path on the right or left side of the body or face. Typically, shingles develop on the abdomen and chest. The pain from shingles is a stabbing, shock-like pain.
Adults aged over 50 who had chickenpox as a child are the most typical demographic that contract shingles. Factors that contribute to developing shingles include stress, immune efficiency, long-term steroid use, and physical trauma.
Does Zostavax Work?
Zostavax only works in about 50 percent of patients. When it does work, the effects last for six years. Immunocompromised patients are most at risk to develop Zostavax vaccine complications. The vaccine is manufactured by Merck in fetal lung cells, which can cause severe autoimmune disorders.
Zostavax Lawsuits for Patients
Victims of the Zostovax are filing lawsuits against Merck because it failed to warn patients of dangerous side effects and was dangerously designed. Merck delayed eight years before notifying the public that the vaccine could cause severe injury or even death.
Lawsuits against Merck claim many injuries from Zostavax, including blindness, congestive heart failure, paralysis, pneumonia, post-herpetic neuralgia, stroke, shingles, hearing loss, death, and liver failure.
Do I Qualify for a Zostavax Lawsuit?
People who may qualify for a claim against Merck include those who: (1) received the Zostavax vaccine after 2006, (2) developed shingles from three weeks to a year after the vaccination, and (3) were clinically diagnosed with shingles or other severe medical conditions. If you or someone you love endured this pain, please contact the Zostavax lawyers at The Willis Law Firm.
Zostavax Lawsuit Attorney
David P. Willis is board certified as a personal injury trial law specialist. Our Zostavax attorneys help patients and families around the country, and we do it with remarkable experience and success. Please call us at 1-800-883-9858 if you or someone you care about has taken the Zostavax vaccine and later developed shingles.