It’s official, as of today, the Zostavax vaccine, recommended for shingles prevention and postherpetic pain in adults aged 50 and over, is available from pharmacies. And, following a decree of June 5, 2015, this vaccine will be reimbursed by Health Insurance for people aged 65 to 79, who are vaccinated against shingles or who do not want to prevent post-herpetic pain (neuropathic pain associated shingles can persist for months, even years in some cases, until they become chronic).
In addition, for people aged 75 to 79 in the context of a catch-up, coverage or reimbursement is provided until February 28, 2017.
Shingles is a common and unpredictable disease caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), whose incidence and severity increase with age. Previously, there was no way to prevent shingles and its painful complications. The Zostavax vaccine, from the Sanofi-Pasteur laboratory, reactivates the immune system so that it can maintain the VZV virus in a latent state in the body, thus limiting the risk of occurrence of shingles and its severity.
The results of the main study in people aged 60 and over (Shingles Prevention Study) showed that the vaccine reduced the incidence of shingles by 51%, post-herpetic pain by 67% and cases of most severe shingles, compared to the unvaccinated population.
Shingles in numbers
– 95% of adults have had chickenpox and carry the virus inside them
– 1 in 4 people will have shingles in their lifetime
– Approximately 300,000 people are affected by shingles each year in France, including 20,000 cases of ophthalmic shingles
– After age 65, the risk of shingles more than doubles
– 30% of people over 70 suffer from postherpetic pain for months.
And you, do you know shingles well? Take the quiz to find out !
Read also :
5 natural remedies to treat shingles
Pain, burns: what if it was shingles?
