If you are unlucky enough to have had Shingles and a bad case of it then you will understand that it would have been better never to have had the horrid rash, firey pain and after-effects. Well if you are over the age of 50 then great news abounds, the Zostavax or shingles vaccine is now available.
This is a vaccine that will prevent Shingles both in patients who have never had it as well as 1-2 years after an episode.
It is a single dose vaccine that costs around R1200. Why would you spend this money you might say, well ask someone who has had severe shingles and they will probably say that they would pay double or triple that figure in order to erase the experience.
Any adult strictly speaking can be vaccinated but the reason it is advised over the age of 50 is that your risk to develop shingles due to lower cell-mediated immunity is double from the age of 50 and then rises exponentially for every year above that.
Other states of lower immunity like undergoing cancer treatment, having a suppressed immunity for various other reasons (like stress) as well as diseases like diabetes are another reason to contemplate this vaccine.
What is shingles? It is a blistering painful (excruciating like fire like pain) that can be complicated by postherpetic neuralgia which is the fire-like pain ongoing for time to come (and that could be years).
According to research 95% of adults are at risk of shingles, why not prevent it?
Written by DR Claudine Lee 26 Hilton avenue 033 343 2243