Food and herbal nutritional products » Herpes » 5 questions about getting vaccinated against shingles
5 questions about getting vaccinated against shingles
View PDF | Print View
by: Guest
Total views: 366 Word Count: 425
Herpes zoster, also called shingles, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash and blisters. It will appear only on one side of the body as it follows the path of a nerve fiber.
Varicella zoster virus causes the acute illness known as chicken pox. The virus then lays dormant in a nerve cell body and under certain situations, years later, the virus breaks out of the nerve cell body and travels down the nerve axon to cause the infection in the skin called shingles.
The virus is contagious from the time the rash erupts until the lesions crust.
Q:Who is at risk for getting shingles? Can you still get them if you haven't had the chicken pox?
A: The risk for shingles increases with age and in people with weakened immune systems. There are 1.2 to 3.4 cases per 1,000 in healthy individuals every year, and 3.9 to 11.8 cases per 1,000 in individuals over the age of 65.
The Varicella virus (chicken pox) infects about 98 percent of the population. You cannot get shingles if you have not had the chicken pox.
Q: What vaccines are available to help prevent shingles?
A: In the United States, there is one vaccine available to help prevent shingles. This vaccine is Zostavax and it is made by the pharmaceutical company Merck.
Q: Who should consider getting vaccinated? Do you need to be vaccinated if you've already had shingles?
A: Everyone over the age of 60 should consider getting vaccinated, unless you have contraindications. These contraindications include: leukemia, lymphoma, malignant neoplasm affecting bone marrow or lymph systems, AIDS, taking immune suppressive drugs (high dose of steroids drug i.e. chemo), patients with clinical or laboratory evidence of other cellular immunodeficiency, pregnancy.
Yes, if you have had shingles you should still get the vaccine because the virus can still be in another nerve cell in your body.
Q: How effective is the vaccine? Does it carry any risks?
A: In a study done with patients who received the vaccine, it was determined that the vaccine prevented 52 percent of them from getting shingles. Of those who did get shingles, 62 percent had only mild symptoms, and of those with stronger symptoms, 67 percent did not get post-herpetic neuralgia, or a complication in which pain lingers after the rash subsides.
There are few side effects/risks of the vaccine. There were some injection-site reactions, but they were generally mild. The most common injection-site reactions were erythema (redness), pain or tenderness, and swelling.
Interview conducted via e-mail by Patriot-News staff.
Additional information:
Herpes Zoster Contagious a comprehensive view Wellsphere
Herpes Zoster Giving Rise To Contagious Erysipelas
Herpes Zoster shingles Contagious Herpes Zoster virus Herpes
Shingles Pictures, Treatment of Herpes Zoster Vaccine, Pain
Herpes Zoster Ask.com
Article: Shingles Herpes Zoster Clinical Reference Systems
Health
Are Shingles Contagious eHow.com
Is herpes zoster contagious ?
Herpes zoster postherpetic neuralgia
http://www.pennlive.com/bodyan...
Related "Herpes":
- Sunridge's nearest neighbour, the Suncor refinery, looks ...
So goes the common refrain on a night where the ... - Shingles: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
If you have ever had shingles, or know someone w ... - Genital Herpes: Some Common Myths
(HealthNewsDigest.com) - It's probably not someth ... - Stop Herpes
Discover the simple steps to kill the virus and bu ... - 3 Pinoys getting HIV every day
MANILA - The Philippines has seen an "alarming" i ...
Rating: Not yet rated (votes: 0)
