Shingles (herpes zoster)
The recombinant vaccine Shingrix (GSK) gives more than 90% protection in older adults.
Transmission
Reactivation of virus lying dormant in sensory nerve ganglia after a previous chickenpox infection.
Symptoms
Burning, stabbing pain along a nerve on one side of the body, followed by clusters of blisters.
Complications
Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) lasting months or years, causing exhaustion and depression; ophthalmic shingles causing corneal ulcers and blindness; Ramsay Hunt facial paralysis.
People at high risk
People aged 50 and over, immunocompromised people or people with chronic diseases.
Preventive vaccines
- Shingrix (RZV) – Recombinant shingles vaccine