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Transparent access to VAERS data for informed decision-making. We present the data as-is, with appropriate context and disclaimers.

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Data source: VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System)

Data through 2026 · Updated quarterly

Built by TheDataProject.ai · © 2026 VaccineWatch

Important: VAERS accepts reports of adverse events following vaccination. For any given report, there is no certainty that the reported event was caused by the vaccine. Reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable. Most reports to VAERS are voluntary, which means they are subject to biases. This data cannot be used to determine if vaccines cause or contribute to adverse events.

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Important: VAERS reports alone cannot determine if a vaccine caused an adverse event. Reports may contain incomplete, inaccurate, or unverified information. Correlation does not equal causation.

  1. Home
  2. Vaccines
  3. Zoster Live (Zostavax)
  4. Herpes zoster
Zoster Live (Zostavax)×Herpes zoster

Herpes zoster Reports for Zoster Live (Zostavax)

#1 most reported symptom for this vaccine

25,286
Reports
92
Deaths
1,833
Hospitalizations
0.36
Mortality Rate
%
7.2
Hosp. Rate
%

Herpes zoster and Zoster Live (Zostavax)

Herpes zoster has been reported 25,286 times in association with Zoster Live (Zostavax) vaccination in VAERS. This represents 18.0% of all 140,312 reports for this vaccine.

Among these reports, 92 mentioned death (0.36%) and 1,833 involved hospitalization (7.2%).

Herpes zoster is the #1 most frequently reported symptom for Zoster Live (Zostavax) out of 2827 total symptoms.

Disclaimer: VAERS reports describe events that occurred after vaccination but do not establish that the vaccine caused the event. Many reported symptoms may be coincidental or related to underlying conditions.

What This Means

Seeing 25,286 reports of Herpes zoster after Zoster Live (Zostavax) vaccination may seem alarming, but context is critical. With 140,312 total reports for this vaccine (representing many millions of doses), Herpes zoster appears in only 18.0% of reports.

The mortality rate among these reports is very low at 0.36%, suggesting most cases are non-fatal.

Important Context

•Association, not causation: These reports show Herpes zoster occurred after vaccination, not that the vaccine caused it.
•Background rates: Herpes zoster may occur naturally at baseline rates in the population, unrelated to vaccination.
•Anyone can report: VAERS accepts reports from anyone — patients, parents, healthcare providers — without requiring medical verification.
•Denominator missing: VAERS counts reports, not rates per dose. Without knowing how many doses were given, raw counts can be misleading. Learn more →

Similarly Ranked Symptoms

Pain21,018 reportsInjection site erythema18,142 reports

Quick Facts

Reports:25,286
Deaths:92
Hospitalizations:1,833
% of Vaccine:18.0%
Rank:#1 of 2827

Related Pages

Zoster Live (Zostavax) OverviewHerpes zoster (All Vaccines)Why Raw Numbers MisleadTop Symptoms Analysis

Data Source

This data comes from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), jointly managed by CDC and FDA.