Almost all Americans 60 and older should be vaccinated against shingles, a painful, often debilitating condition that affects about 1 million people a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last week. The recommendation includes people who have had shingles.

The CDC's advice may mean that more physicians will now give the vaccine and more private insurers will cover its cost, said CDC spokesman Curtis Allen. The vaccine is already covered by Medicare Part D, according to the CDC.

Shingles, which usually surfaces as a rash on one side of the face or body, is caused by varicella zoster, the same virus responsible for chickenpox.

After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body and can reappear as shingles later in life, causing severe pain that may last for weeks, months or even years.

The number of Americans affected by shingles is increasing as the population ages, Allen said. Shingles occurs most frequently in people 50 and older.

The CDC recommends a single dose of the vaccine Zostavax, which Allen said is effective for at least five to six years.