Vaccination for Herpes zoster it has a 95% effectiveness in reducing cases of recurrence of zoster and also in postherpetic neuralgia. It is a very modern polysaccharide vaccine which, compared to the old vaccine which was formed with a live virus, has a very low adverse event rate and is well tolerated. Two doses are needed and it is recommended from the age of 60, especially in immunosuppressed subjects, oncological and hematological patients, diabetics and in patients with various heart diseases.
I had the chickenpox vaccine as a child, am I protected from shingles?
This vaccine also protects against herpetic recurrence, which in some population groups, especially diabetic patients, has a very significant impact on neuropathy and chronic pain, thus requiring a therapeutic approach that can last even several months. It should be added that the vaccine is also associated with a reduction in cardiovascular events: in fact, a persistent relapsing viral infection leads to inflammation that causes, or in any case predisposes, other problems, mainly cardiac and oncological.
Type 1 and 2 diabetes: the new guidelines on recommended vaccinations
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* Marco Falcone is SIMIT Secretary, infectious disease specialist at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Pisan Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa