Guidelines released in late October by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommend that adults 60 and older be given the recently approved shingles vaccine called Zostavax. Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk for shingles, a painful rash that occurs when the varicella virus reactivates after years of lying dormant in nerve endings. Preventing shingles would also eliminate its most common complication, a condition known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), characterized by persistent or recurring pain in shingles-affected areas even alter the acute rash subsides. The link between advancing age and PHN is strong. At age 60 years, approximately 60 percent of patients with shingles develop PHN, and at age 70 years, 75 percent develop PHN. Merck pharmaceutical company manufactures the Zostavax vaccine. CDC panel findings impact insurance coverage and patient access to the treatment.