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In this episode, Charles Vega, MD, Professor of Family Medicine at UC Irvine, will address the clinical impact of herpes zoster, the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of available vaccines for prevention, and strategies to promote adherence to national vaccine guidelines.Herpes zoster, or shingles, results from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that lies dormant on the dorsal horn nerve cells of the spinal cord. The annual incidence increases with age, from five cases per 1,000 population in adults aged 50-59 years to 11 cases per 1,000 population in persons aged ≥80 years. Approximately 99.5% of people aged ≥40 years born in the United States have been infected with wild-type VZV and are therefore at risk for herpes zoster. Vaccination can reduce the risk of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and a newer vaccine with greater effectiveness is now available. However, various barriers to vaccination exist, and vaccination coverage is suboptimal. This educational activity is supported by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.This activity is not certified for CME/CE credit.