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   Shingles, caused by the dormant chickenpox virus in nerve tissues, will affect more than 500,000 people this year, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

   Although the disease is most commonly found in persons age 50 or over, anyone exposed to chickenpox becomes at risk for developing Shingles. The condition, caused by a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, usually produces intensely painful rashes that last for weeks, sometimes longer, and make even the touch of clothing excruciatingly painful. 

   A new and more potent version of the chickenpox vaccine recently won federal approval. In one study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers discovered a one-time shot of the drug Zostavax, developed by Merck & Co., significantly reduced   chances of adults contracting the disease. 

   Merck’s research proved the vaccine reduced the incidence of shingles by half and the pain and discomfort affiliated with the disease by nearly two-thirds. 

   “This is going to be the first product of any kind, vaccine or anything else, that can prevent shingles,” said Dr. Jeffrey Silber, senior director of clinical research at Merck Research Laboratories. 

  The vaccine’s effectiveness in the long term seems unclear. Merck scientists projected the vaccine works for up to four years and the company plans to monitor patients for another 10 years. 

  Whether millions of Americans will rush to get the new shingles inoculation depends on several factors. First, Merck needs to convince government and other medical organizations to recommend the vaccine. Second, insurers will need to cover the vaccine for their patients, and finally, doctors will have to convince their patients that the vaccine is necessary to prevent the disease. 

   Analyst Steve Brozak with WBB Securities in Westfield, N.J., said the vaccine could become a $1 billion or more a year seller for Merck, totaling $152.50 per shot. 

   “Anything that doesn’t have to do with Vioxx should be perceived as good news,” Brozak said. Adding that the approval constitutes a “breath of fresh” air for the company.

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