The Whitehall Township Public Library invited anyone age 50 or older, both uninsured and underinsured, to receive the shingles vaccination Friday.

The June 20 vaccines required no pre-registration. Those wishing to be vaccinated simply provided insurance information and paid $5.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shingles, or otherwise known as Herpes Zoster, is a very painful rash of the skin caused by a reactivation of the chickenpox virus. It's more common in people 50 and older than in younger people, and also more common to those with a weakened immune system.

The varicella zoster virus, or VZV that causes chickenpox, can lie dormant in nerve cells after an episode of chickenpox and later return as shingles.

A rash usually appears on one side of the face or body and can last up to four weeks. Pain is the major symptom, along with a possible fever, headache and upset stomach.

Shingles cannot be passed from one person to another; however a person with shingles can pass chicken pox, says the CDC. If a person who has never had chickenpox becomes infected with VZV, he or she will develop chicken pox, not shingles.

According to the CDC, a single-dose vaccine for shingles was licensed in 2006, and clinical trials showed the vaccine reduced the risk of shingles by half. Also, if someone should still get shingles, the pain can also be reduced when vaccinated.

"We have been doing this vaccination program since February of this year. This will likely be the last time until next winter. We feel the library is a good place in the community for people to come and get information, so when the local Department of Health contacted me last year about their outreach program, we decided to take advantage of it," said Patty Vahey, Whitehall library director.

For more information on shingles you can contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at 1-800-232-4636 or visit the web at www.cdc.gov/vaccines.