Nearly 1 million Americans receive medical care for shingles or its complications each year, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Shingles comes from an infection with varicella zoster virus -- the same virus that causes chickenpox -- and can result in burning or shooting pain, tingling or itching. However, unlike chickenpox, shingles is not contagious.
AHRQs survey found that:
Americans make 2.1 million doctor visits a year because of shingles or its complications.
The average cost for treating shingles is $525 per person or $566 million each year (in 2005 dollars), including prescription medicines.
People age 65 and older are seven times more likely to get shingles than the non-elderly (1.5 percent compared with 0.2 percent, respectively).
Source: AHRQ
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.