Protect yourself from shingles, get the vaccine now

Hyderabad: Recently, shingles vaccine for adults above the age of 50 years was launched in India. Shingles (herpes zoster) is caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox.

A sero-prevalence study among Indians showed that by the age of 40 years, more than 90% of the participants had this virus in their body and were therefore vulnerable to shingles.

Shingrix vaccine

Shingrix (Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted) is a non-live, recombinant subunit vaccine to help prevent shingles. Shingrix combines an antigen, glycoprotein E, and an adjuvant system, AS01B, intended to generate a strong and long-lasting immune response that can help overcome the decline in immunity as people age. Shingrix is to be given intramuscularly in two doses in adults aged 50 years and above.

The vaccine Shingrix was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of shingles in adults 50 years of age or older in 2017. The European Commission gave Shingrix approval for the prevention of shingles in adults 50 years of age or older in 2018.

Bhushan Akshikar, managing director, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited, said, “The vaccine can protect India’s 260 million adults above 50 years of age from shingles and its complications. Existing treatment options may not give complete relief from this pain. Vaccination is the only effective preventive option.”

Complications and symptoms of shingles

Shingles typically presents as a rash, with painful blisters across the chest, abdomen, or face. The pain is often described as aching, burning, stabbing, or shock-like. Following the rash, a person can also experience post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) pain lasting from at least three months up to several years from the onset of rash.

PHN is the most common complication of shingles, occurring in five to 25% of all shingles cases, depending on the patients’ age. This pain can even cause psychological disturbances and increased dependence on caregivers. Shingles can also lead to complications such as vision loss and hearing loss in older adults if the rashes affect the eyes and ears.

Risk factors

Speaking about the recurrence of chickenpox in the form of shingles, Hyderabad-based general physician Dr. P. Saketha Reddy, said, “Those who had been once infected by chickenpox, the virus hides in the spinal cord. In adulthood, the virus gets reactivated if the immunity is low. Therefore, immunosuppressant people such as the elderly, especially those above 70 years, those taking immunosuppressant drugs for treatment of HIV, kidney ailments, diabetes, and chemotherapy or for organ transplantation, are more at risk. However, shingles, characterised by painful rashes, is different from chickenpox in certain aspects.

Shingles occur in one part of the body as clusters of spots called dermatomes and these sudden eruptions of rashes are extremely painful and the pain lingers for several weeks or months even when one recovers from the disease. There has not been any concrete proof if shingles is contagious like chickenpox. Treatment is through anti-viral drugs and it takes usually seven to 14 days to recover from it.”

‘Vaccines can decrease the severity of the disease’

Talking about vaccines, Dr. Reddy asserted, “Even though vaccines cannot guarantee 100% protection, it is always better to take shingles vaccines than remaining non-vaccinated, especially for those above 50 years. Vaccines can definitely reduce the severity of the painful disease.”

Key Points

· People above 50 years and those on immunosuppressants are more at risk of developing shingles.

· Global data shows that one out of three people develops shingles in a lifetime.

· The risk of developing post-herpetic neuralgia is 30% higher and the pain is more debilitating in adults above 50 years of age

· The vaccine has proven efficacy of more than 90% against shingles.

· Shingrix can provide at least 10 years of protection against shingles.