Diagnosed with a shingles infection in late February, Sen. Dianne Feinstein is now hospitalized and undergoing treatment at a San Francisco hospital.
Anyone who has contracted the virus knows how excruciatingly painful it it can be: about one out of every three people in the United States will develop shingles, also known as herpes zoster, in their lifetime, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At greatest risk are the 99% of Americans born in or before 1980 who had chickenpox and have not been vaccinated against shingles. And while the shingles vaccine is highly effective, it’s not perfect, and protection may wane over time. Feinstein’s office did not discuss her medical history, citing privacy concerns.
