Cantabria has just extended the vaccination campaign against herpes zoster for five more years, until the age of 70. Thus, after the start in the population of 65 years (born in 1958) last March, the Ministry of Health increases vaccination coverage, also incorporating people from that age and up to 70 years (born in 1953 ), without prejudice to progressively expanding the target population up to 80 years of age.
In addition, as a novelty, vaccination is also recommended in those people who suffer from recurrent confirmed herpes zoster due to any cause, who are now included among the population over 18 years of age with risk factors. As up to now, the vaccination schedule is two doses with a minimum interval of two months between them.
Risk groups are considered to be adults with hematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplants, being treated with anti-Jak drugs, HIV, malignant blood diseases or solid tumors being treated with chemotherapy.
People who are over the age indicated to be vaccinated against herpes zoster (65-70) or have any of the risk conditions described, can request an appointment at their health center or by self-appointment from the Cantabrian Health Service at the following link.
Zoster, a serious disease
The General Directorate of Public Health has acquired 14,000 doses to advance vaccination against herpes zoster, a disease that generates a need for care and a very significant health expense, accompanied by the suffering of patients and their social and family environment.
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So much so, that the introduction this year in the adult vaccination schedule of Cantabria of the doses to prevent herpes zoster seeks to protect the Cantabrian population due to the high incidence of this disease, since 90% of the population has passed the chickenpox at some point in their lives and, furthermore, from the age of 80 up to 50% of people suffer a reactivation of the virus.
The herpes zoster vaccine (SHINGRIX®) has been shown to be very effective in preventing the disease, which increases in incidence after the age of 50 and reaches its peak at 65.
The risk increases with age
Herpes zoster is a localized infection produced by the reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus, the same one that causes chickenpox and remains latent in people’s bodies. The disease affects peripheral nerves and the skin, where it can produce small, ring-shaped painful blisters grouped along the nerve’s distribution zone, which is why it is also more colloquially known as shingles or St. Anthony’s fire.
It is estimated that around 20% of the population could suffer from herpes zoster and the risk increases with age, due to immunosenescence and immunosuperpression, among other causes that are not yet well known.
Although herpes zoster is not a disease with high mortality, it is an extremely painful and disabling pathology, which can be prolonged over time and present complications. In fact, the most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia, a very painful, debilitating, and even disabling condition that causes shingles to hurt for a long time because damaged nerve fibers send confusing and exaggerated pain messages from the skin. towards the brain.
In addition, if it affects the branches of the trigeminal nerve in the ocular area, herpes zoster infection can cause loss of vision, if it affects the ocular area, neurological problems and superinfections in the affected skin, among other complications. Cases of myocarditis (myocardial inflammation) or involvement of various organs such as the kidney, liver or pancreas, hearing loss, facial paralysis or brain inflammation have also been described.
As with many other pathologies, in the case of patients belonging to risk or immunocompromised groups, the risk of complications is much higher.
All the information related to this vaccine and the rest of those included in the Cantabria vaccination calendar is available in the Cantabrian Health Service guide hosted on the web.
2023-05-20 08:46:06
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