Advice to avoid shingles

What is shingles?

The varicella zoster virus causes both chicken pox and shingles. If you had chicken pox as a child, it may have stayed in a dormant state. Scientists are not sure what triggers it to become active again, but when it does, the virus travels up the nerve axon to the skin. That’s what causes the blisters and a tremendous amount of pain. The rash is called “herpes zoster” although it is not related to the sexually transmitted herpes simplex virus.

Symptoms

Usually, a case of shingles starts as a slight rash on one side of the face or body. The rash may be preceded by a tingling or painful feeling in the face or torso. Within a week, the rash travels around to the other side of the body, and blisters become watery. The rash becomes blistery and lasts anywhere between two and four weeks. Other symptoms can include fever, chills, headache and an upset stomach.
Some patients also get “postherpetic neuralgia” in the areas where the rash occurred. The postherpetic neuralgia can last for months and occasionally for years. That painful condition can be quite debilitating.

Another side effect of shingles is the potential for vision and hearing loss if the original outbreak occurred in the face or ears.
But if the patient recognizes that they have the virus within the first three days, their doctor can prescribe one of the drugs in the acyclovir or famocylovir families to help prevent further complications.

What is the risk?

Of the estimated 1 million cases of shingles each year in the U.S., over half are in people over age 60. Usually, a person gets shingles only once,
but there are cases when a patient has a second case of shingles.

People are at risk of contracting shingles if they had chicken pox, are older than 60, have immune system deficiencies and use steroids or other medications that suppress their immune system.

What to do

With a visit to your doctor, you can avoid getting shingles. According to Odilia Des Roches, pharmacy manager at the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, the vaccine costs $199. Some insurance companies’ Medicare Part D plans will cover the cost. Unlike a flu shot, only a doctor can administer the shingles vaccine because it is a live vaccine that requires special storage and handling.
If you’re not sure you’ve had chicken pox, you can be tested to see if you did. Then your doctor will advise you of what vaccination is needed.
You can’t pass shingles on to someone else. But if you have shingles, you can pass chicken pox on to someone if they haven’t been vaccinated against it.


Editor’s note: Some information for this article was provided in part by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more information or to see examples of a shingles outbreak, go to the center’s Web site at www.cdc.gov/shingles/index.html.