What is Saint Anthony’s fire (herpes zoster) and how to prevent it
Vaccination against shingles, better known as shingles, has already been in the National Vaccination Prevention Plan for years, yet it is being talked about a lot lately. Here because
In addition to the vaccination campaign against Covid , the one against herpes zoster, better known as shingles, is also underway. In fact, this vaccination had already been included by the Ministry of Health in the National Vaccine Prevention Plan 2017-2018 for people aged 65 and over and a new vaccine has been marketed since last year.
But why is there a renewed attention now?
THE FIRE OF SANT'ANTONIO DOES NOT WORRY PEOPLE
According to an Ipsos MORI survey conducted in various countries of the world on 2,509 subjects, "it was found that, on average, only 7% of people interviewed believe they are at high risk of developing shingles in the next 10 years", reads on Health Newspaper .
THE ACTUAL NUMBERS
In reality, however, Sanità Information reports that "over 90% of adults over 50 have already contracted the virus but not everyone knows that it remains latent in the body".
Furthermore, "the incidence and severity increase with age with an increase after the age of 50, reaching 1 in 2 individuals over 85".
And the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) estimates that 1 in 10 people will have at least one episode of shingles in adulthood.
This is why Shingles Awareness Week was held in March, the first global week of awareness on this pathology organized by Gsk and the International Federation on Aging.
WHAT IS THE HERPES ZOSTER OR FIRE OF SANT'ANTONIO
Shingles, more commonly known as shingles, is the infection by the varicella zoster virus (VZV) of one or more nerves (usually just one), explains the ISS.
HOW IT MANIFESTS
Infection is usually associated with a painful rash that, although it can occur anywhere on the body or not at all, appears more frequently on only one side of the chest or abdomen in the form of a single strip of blisters.
While not life-threatening, says the ISS, shingles can be very painful and an episode typically lasts two to four weeks.
WHAT HAS TO DO WITH THE VARICELLA
VZV belongs to the large Herpes virus family and is the same that causes chickenpox. The virus, in fact, after causing chickenpox, remains inactive in the nervous tissue and then awakens, after many years, in the form of shingles. However, this does not mean that all people who have had chickenpox develop shingles.
WHAT CAUSES IT AND WHO IS MOST AT RISK
The cause of the reactivation of the virus is not known, but it is thought that in most cases it occurs due to a lowered immune system, however, even young and healthy people can develop shingles.
RELEASES AND CONTAGION
Usually, the ISS reports, one or two episodes may occur, while it is very rare for the virus to reactivate more than twice.
People with shingles can transmit the virus to anyone who has not yet had chickenpox or is not vaccinated against it, through direct contact with open blisters that contain the infecting virus. The infected person, however, develops chickenpox but not shingles.
WHAT ARE VACCINATION AND THERAPIES FOR?
Vaccination reduces the risk of developing the disease, while initiating treatment quickly can shorten the time of infection and reduce the chance of complications.
WHICH THERAPIES
Infections due to shingles, such as chickenpox, usually heal spontaneously. However, given the very annoying disorders, local and / or general treatments can be used to limit the risk of complications. These include antivirals, pain relievers, anti-inflammatories and aluminum chloride-based gels.
FOR WHOM VACCINATION IS RECOMMENDED
According to the ISS, vaccination is indicated above the age of 50 and is recommended in people aged 65 and over or in individuals at risk, even if younger.
THE VACCINE AGAINST THE FIRE OF SANT'ANTONIO
The new shingles vaccine is a recombinant vaccine, containing no live virus. It is administered intramuscularly and is suitable for over 50s and people under the age but with a high risk of disease. It has no contraindications for people with weakened immune systems.
The shingles vaccine, the ISS points out, should only be used as a prevention strategy and not to treat people with ongoing disease.
HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS
"The efficacy of this vaccine, evaluated in people who have been administered two doses two months apart, is around 97% in the fifties and 91% in people over seventy," says the Ministry of Health.
WHY A VACCINE CAMPAIGN NOW
As Antonio Ferro , president of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health (SItI), recalled: “The pandemic situation has overwhelmed the world population and fragile patients are the ones who are paying the highest price. While on the one hand they had access to preferential lanes for the anti SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, on the other hand they suffered the slowdown of routine vaccinations, recommended by the National Vaccine Prevention Plan, with particular reference to that against Herpes Zoster. ".
“We are talking about hundreds of thousands of patients suffering from diabetes, HIV, cancer and cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic diseases who risk further compromising their quality of life due to shingles and its consequences. For example – continues Ferro – diabetic subjects have a 30% increased risk of developing Herpes Zoster infection, with the possibility of showing greater severity and persistence of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia than non-diabetics. But also patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a 1.5 to 2 times higher risk of contracting the disease than their peers in the general population, while the incidence of so-called shingles in people with solid neoplasms is markedly increased compared to the general population. The incidence increases as the level of immunosuppression due to both the disease and the treatment increases ”.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/cose-il-fuoco-di-santantonio-herpes-zoster-e-come-si-previene/ on Sat, 24 Sep 2022 05:17:04 +0000.