All adults aged 60 and older should be vaccinated against shingles, a skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended on Thursday.

The ZOSTAVAX vaccine for shingles reduces the chance of developing shingles for those 60 and up, though the odds get worse with increasing age. The vaccination was recommended by an influential government advisory panel in 2006. The CDC officially adopted the recommendation this week

Americans make 2.1 million doctor visits a year because of shingles or its complications and nearly one million receive medical care for the infection.

The average cost for treating shingles is $525 per person or $566 million each year (in 2005 dollars), including prescription medicines, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The ancient Chinese martial art Tai Chi could prevent shingles, a new study shows. Recent research found that seniors who took tai chi classes had twice the level of immunity against the painful skin rash than those who took health education classes instead.

Tai chi has long been known to improve fitness and balance, but researchers are finding it affects the immune system, though the reason for its effect isn't known

There are mounting concerns over the future potential for H5N1 influenza to cause a pandemic. Those concerns coupled with worries over terrorists launching an attack using that virus or other biological agents have caused the government to fund some research at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Madison.

The National Institute's of Health's Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced Thursday it has awarded the Medical College a five-year, $8.1 million grant to develop a rapid, miniaturized, automated diagnostic device to test for the presence of avian flu and most potential bioterrorism agents

The longer a person lives the more likely he or she is to develop shingles if that person has already had chickenpox. Among that group, about half of all people who live until age 85, or older, will develop the disease that is characterized by an itch, burning or tingling followed by a fluid-filled blister.

Nearly one million people have shingles every year, with most cases after age 60. The disease is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus lies dormant in the body and scientists are not sure what activates it to cause shingles