Safeway Offers Immunization to Help Prevent Against Shingles

Safeway Inc. announced that it is offering vaccination to prevent against shingles in over 700 pharmacies in the states of AK, CA, CO, DE, HI, ID, IL, MT, NE, NV, OR, PA, TX, VA and WA administered by Safeway pharmacists. The vaccine will be provided on a walk-in basis at in-store pharmacies; patients should call their Safeway pharmacy or go to www.safeway.com/rx to find a location near them.

“The only way to prevent against contracting this debilitating disease is to get a single shot. By administering vaccines on site, Safeway is making it easy for anyone to protect themselves,” said Dave Fong, Safeway Senior Vice President, Pharmacy. “Receiving a shingles vaccination is as easy as stopping at the pharmacy during your regular shopping trip.”

Shingles is a disease caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who has ever had chickenpox is at risk for shingles. Shingles most commonly occurs in people 50 years old or older, people who have medical conditions that keep the immune system from working properly, or people who receive immunosuppressive drugs. The first sign of shingles is usually an itching, tingling, burning, or painful feeling which progresses to fluid-filled blisters that can last for two to four weeks. In almost every case, shingles causes pain even after the blisters heal that can last for months or even years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends shingles vaccination for all people over the age of 60.

Safeway also offers full-service adult and adolescent immunization services for the prevention of such ailments as tetanus, hepatitis, pneumococcal, meningococcal and more. Safeway owns and operates stores under the Vons, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Carrs, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Pak ‘n Save, Pavilions and Safeway banners.

ABOUT SAFEWAY www.Safeway.com

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,743 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $42 billion in 2007.