½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Hello Lastly Vn,

Please note that your thread has been moved to the Hanoi forum for better reach.

Are you already in Hanoi? If yes, have you tried checking at the nearest hospital for the vaccine?

Cheers,

Cheryl

½ûÂþÌìÌà team

How any of you received Shinrix which is the vaccine for Shingles? Is it available in Hanoi?
-@Lastly Vn

It's called SHINGRIX

Check with French Hospital

***

****
-@williamherron13

Not true.

Shingrix received FDA approval on October 20, 2017, for prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults aged 50 years and older.

A shingles vaccine called zoster vaccine live (Zostavax) is no longer available for use in the United States, as of November 18, 2020 after Merck issued a letter on May 22, 2020, informing healthcare providers that it would no longer sell ZOSTAVAX in the USA, effective July 1, 2020.

Both discontinued Zostavax and currently approved Shingrix (with black box warning***) have been connected with concerns about GBS (Guillain-Barré syndrome).

Shingrix prescribing information must now include this "black box" warning:

***"In a postmarketing observational study, an increased risk of GBS was observed during the 42 days following vaccination with Shingrix."

In a voluntary recall notice prompted by the possibility of cracked medication vials, GlaxoSmithKline recalled one lot (#9LH3Y) of SHINGRIX suspension for intramuscular injection packs.

Recalled cartons from lot #9LH3Y were originally shipped between October 12, 2020 and October 22, 2020.

The
recall was a precautionary measure due to the potential for loss of integrity of the antigen vial, although a search of GSK's global adverse event database did not identify a safety signal for

Shingrix lot #9LH3Y related to infections or lack of efficacy, events that could occur if there were a loss of integrity of the vial.

()

Is Shingrix a safe vaccine?

Yes. Although no medical product, such as vaccines or drugs, is 100 percent safe or effective, Shingrix has a strong safety record. Clinical trials conducted to support approval of Shingrix included approximately 17,000 adults ages 50 years and older who received at least one dose of Shingrix. There is also postmarketing experience with millions of Shingrix recipients.

(NOTE: Much of my post is copied from official FDA and drug manufacturer's publicly available information)

@williamherron13 Shingrix is currently advertised on US television.  The recall was voluntary by the manufacturer and was wrapped up in March of 2022.  Whatever the reason for the recall, it must have been resolved.

I was vaccinated with the prior shingles vaccine and it did not work for me.  In fact I had two episodes of shingles while living in Vietnam, the second one being rather minor in comparison to the first, which was very painful. Shingrix is reputedly a lot more effective than the older vaccine. The term for Shingles in Vietnamese is bệnh zona.  My primary physician, who was an internist, recognized it immediately so I expect it is not uncommon.  There is a hospital in HCM (and perhaps another in Hanoi) which specializes in Chickenpox which is caused by the same virus (Herpes Zoster), but it is largely a pediatric inpatient hospital. My wife checked with them when I was ill and they did not accept foreigners in the clinic.  I was prescribed Acyclovir paste by my doctor but I believe there may be newer and more effective anti-virals available in Vietnam now. Of course the best thing to do is have the Shingrix shot and don't suffer the disease at all.  Also if you were vaccinated for Chickenpox as opposed to having the disease as a child, you are less likely to but still can get Shingles.

The recall was voluntary by the manufacturer and was wrapped up in March of 2022. Whatever the reason for the recall, it must have been resolved.
-@THIGV

See my post before yours

How any of you received Shinrix which is the vaccine for Shingles?

No, not I.

Is it available in Hanoi?
-@Lastly Vn

Absolutely it is. As Oceanbeach92107 said, try the Hanoi French Hospital. A quick search shows that , as do the majority of the int'l medical centres.

As a prescription is not (I do believe) required, I'm wondering whether it might be had at any of the local Nha Thuoc Tay (the corner pharmacy) dispensaries.

Please do let us know of your search results.

See my post before yours

-@OceanBeach92107

You were posting while I was writing. (Here's the Hawaii Shaka sign too )

One other comment on shingles. The virus emerges from the spinal column usually only on one side following the nerves that come out of the spine as pathways. I was somewhat fortunate that mine was around my waist area.  I also had phantom itches in that area for several years which is common.  The most dangerous aspect of the disease is if it exits from the vertebrae of the neck.  Then the sores can be facial and in the eyes which can even result in blindness. Nobody responded yet as to where to get the shot in Hanoi but I expect one could ask most any doctor.

Shingles xmas song.

@Cheryl thanks!

@THIGV it said the vaccine is not yet available in Hanoi. However, the vaccine may be available in international hospitals but I need to ask about it one by one.

@Lastly Vn:  Have you been able to establish a doctor/patient relationship with any type of doctor in Hanoi?   If not, you should think about trying to do so as it would vastly improve your ability to access care, in particular referrals to specialists.  I found this was true in VN just as it is in the west.   Even if you are not referred to a particular physician, your doctor may point you in the direction of a specialty hospital.

I met my personal physician by a chance encounter at the neighborhood swimming pool where he and a few other doctors swam laps before going to work at the nearby hospital.  I don't expect this lucky encounter will work for others but ask around.  Once you find the right doctor, you will find the information you seek.  We can;t read you link yet as it is "under review" but I would follow up on the recommendations above of French Hospital or Vinmec.   Good luck.

@Lastly Vn: Have you been able to establish a doctor/patient relationship with any type of doctor in Hanoi?  If not, you should think about trying to do so as it would vastly improve your ability to access care, in particular referrals to specialists. I found this was true in VN just as it is in the west. 
-@THIGV

Totally agree.

I'm glad you said it because I was hesitating repeating myself for the umpteenth time.

Unfortunately too many foreigners come to Vietnam thinking that self-diagnosis & self-treatment is the way to take care of healthcare issues.

In many cases, that's exactly what works, especially for those who are very well informed about their own established medical needs.

If a person has been taking the same cocktail of prescription drugs for a number of years, without significant changes, it's certainly easy enough to find a pharmacist who will sell them whatever non-controlled substances they desire.

More power to them!

But in many situations, it really would be best to have a primary healthcare provider.

It doesn't need to be a specialist or even an internal medicine physician.

Just someone who is willing to refer you to other healthcare providers and institutions where specific needs can be met.

Of course, if an expat doesn't want to pay higher prices for doctors who speak English very well (and who know how to cater to foreign sensibilities about bedside manners and modern façades with documents & signs in English) then the foreigner will need a Vietnamese friend or significant other who is willing to accompany them and translate their needs to an otherwise capable and affordable Vietnamese physician.

So I offered the shortcut of contacting French Hospital, because their system for triaging routine, urgent and emergency care needs will almost certainly hook the OP up with a staff physician who can either take care of his needs immediately or refer him to the best place for his vaccine request.

Just don't leave your wallet at home...

@THIGV it said the vaccine is not yet available in Hanoi. However, the vaccine may be available in international hospitals but I need to ask about it one by one.
-@Lastly Vn

This link led to a page within the vinmec site that said that the linked page was unavailable.   If you did your search for this link on Google did you note the date of the response?  A simple search for Shingrix from within the site yields four articles none of which involves inavailability if Shingrix.  One of the articles does say "Currently the Zostavax vaccine is rarely used."  If this is what you read,  remember that Zostavax is the discontinued vaccine.   I did read n this article that Shingrix is a "recombinant" vaccine.   Could this be a cause of your reticence?

I realized in my previous post, the link is connected to some of my words so it goes to a wrong website. Here it is the correct link.

@THIGV it said the vaccine is not yet available in Hanoi. However, the vaccine may be available in international hospitals but I need to ask about it one by one.
-@Lastly Vn
This link led to a page within the vinmec site that said that the linked page was unavailable.  If you did your search for this link on Google did you note the date of the response? A simple search for Shingrix from within the site yields four articles none of which involves inavailability if Shingrix. One of the articles does say "Currently the Zostavax vaccine is rarely used." If this is what you read, remember that Zostavax is the discontinued vaccine.  I did read n this article that Shingrix is a "recombinant" vaccine.  Could this be a cause of your reticence?
-@THIGV

Try the Vinmec link in my post, here.

(link) also has a shingles vaccination available, and although they are in Saigon, I'm thinking they'd have an associate/colleague/contact to refer people to in Hanoi. Is it Shingrix? Not sure.

Good luck to you, Lastly Vn, and please keep us updated.

If the vaccine is available anywhere in Vietnam and a physician wants to get it for their patient, they will definitely be able to do so.

Leave a primary care physician out of the loop and the OP can continue chasing his tail

My sÍŸiÍŸnÍŸcÍŸeÍŸrÍŸe apologies, Lastly VN. I phoned both on your behalf, and contrary to the websites of Centre Medical Int'l, aÍŸnÍŸd ofVinmec Int'l Medical Centre, I was told that neither operation offers a vaccine for shingles (Shingrix or otherwise).

CMI even stated (as you had earlier mentioned) that a vaccine against shingles is not available in the whole of VN. I did not call any other int'l medical centres

I'm not sure of how much stock one should put in CMI's statement of the nonavailability in VN. Best to follow THIGV and OB's suggestion to establish contact with a primary physician.

Again, very sorry about the misinformation I provided you which I based on what each state on their website.

CMI even stated (as you had earlier mentioned) that a vaccine against shingles is not available in the whole of VN.
-@Aidan in HCMC

How naive of myself and others to have assumed that the websites of places as apparently professional as CMI and Vinmec are accurate.  My apologies as well.

It is stunning to think that a country as medically advanced as Vietnam would intentionally allow its citizens to be unnecessarily exposed to something as preventable as Shingles.  It could be that the government just can't buy it in sufficient quantities.  I found a somewhat dated article (2019) saying that the manufacturer was having a hard time keeping up with demand.   That shortage has apparently been only recently resolved, not by an increase in supply but by a leveling off of demand.   One thing the manufacturer did not originally account for was the number of people who had previously had Shingles or the Zostavax shot taking the new vaccine.   They (SGK) are forecasting a large increase in availability due to a change in the manufacturing process but not until 2024.

For the OP: Have you checked in your native Hong Kong?   Several clinic websites there say that they have it but perhaps the situation is the same as in Hanoi.

Just a FYI on this thread, my wife could not get any shingles vaccine in Saigon last year. We went to Thailand and got  her Zostavax at Mahidol university hospital, Shingrix was not available. She didn't need a prescription, just showed up at clinic.

We went to Thailand and got her Zostavax at Mahidol university hospital, Shingrix was not available.
-@gobot

That was likely a wise move but just keep in mind that while Shingrix is 97% effective, Zostavax is rated at only 50%.   I know as I fell on the wrong side of that 50%.   When Shingix becomes available again in Vietnam, which is looking like 2024, she should probably be revaccinated with Shingrix.  In the US, people who have been vaccinated with Zostavax are urged to still take Shingrix and Zostavax has been removed from the market.  It may however still be manufactured in other countries.  When I returned from Vietnam, my doctor recommended that I have Shingrix but she limited it to a single shot instead of thee usual two.

We went to Thailand and got her Zostavax at Mahidol university hospital, Shingrix was not available.
-@gobot
That was likely a wise move but just keep in mind that while Shingrix is 97% effective, Zostavax is rated at only 50%.  I know as I fell on the wrong side of that 50%.  When Shingix becomes available again in Vietnam, which is looking like 2024, she should probably be revaccinated with Shingrix. In the US, people who have been vaccinated with Zostavax are urged to still take Shingrix and Zostavax has been removed from the market. It may however still be manufactured in other countries. When I returned from Vietnam, my doctor recommended that I have Shingrix but she limited it to a single shot instead of thee usual two.
-@THIGV

A few years (can't recall how many) before I returned to Việt Nam in 2018 I received the Zostavac vaccine (single dose) at a V.A. Medical Center in Tennessee.

As I believe I mentioned earlier in this thread, when I was in the USA in 2022, my primary care provider offered me the Shingrix vaccine.

I asked specifically if she was aware of my previous Zostavac immunisation and she assured me she was, but said that the current "standard of care" for individuals with a history of receiving Zostavac called for a new, two-dose immunization (4 to 6 months apart) with Shingrix.

@THIGV  Ok, I'll let her know about Shingrix.  It wasn't available in Thailand last year. She actually had an outbreak when she was 40, got a chain of stinging spots on her neck. Young for an occurrence, as the shot is recommended for 50 y.o. up.

@THIGV Ok, I'll let her know about Shingrix. It wasn't available in Thailand last year. She actually had an outbreak when she was 40, got a chain of stinging spots on her neck. Young for an occurrence, as the shot is recommended for 50 y.o. up.
-@gobot

The fact that her outbreak was on her neck is concerning.   See my post #9.   Getting Zostavax is probably the next best thing.   You can't count on natural immunity either.  Notice that I had two episodes, although the second one was not as severe as the first.   Really hoping that she will be OK until Shingix is available again.