Immunology and Allergology >>>> Herpes zoster prevention

Herpes zoster prevention.

Herpes zoster disease can develop at the most inopportune moment in a person with a weakened immune system, which puts a person's health at risk, since it is at times of a weakened immune system that preventive vaccination measures against herpes zoster cannot be taken. It makes sense to be vaccinated long before the moment when the body is weakened by any disease and "opens the gate" for the activation of the chickenpox virus, because it is this virus, which has hidden in the human body since the time it was treated with chickenpox, that is the cause of the development of herpes zoster.

The varicella-zoster virus (Varicella zoster) has the ability to get stuck in the ganglia of nerve fibers. There, this virus is able to persist indefinitely in the human body and is again capable of causing harm during periods when a person is treated with immunosuppressive drugs that suppress the action of the immune system, suffer from severe infectious diseases "exhausting" the immune system.

The disease Chickenpox has long been defeated by preventive vaccination in infancy with mandatory routine vaccinations. But, often, the avoidance of the necessary vaccinations by the parents of unvaccinated children leads in the future to health problems in their offspring, since in the Chickenpox disease, in addition to residual effects on the skin (scars) that cannot be eliminated, complications can occur much more serious for the continuation of life, for example: necrotizing fasciitis, ataxia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, encephalitis and, most dangerous, septic shock, which can be fatal.

The prevention of herpes zoster solves two problems at once: it will not allow the possibility of contracting Chickenpox at an older age (there is evidence of the disease of young people already at the age of 20 years and above), and also will not give an opportunity after being ill with Chickenpox (if it did happen) develop another form of manifestation of this infection - herpes zoster, which is much more painful than chickenpox itself.

There are currently two types of vaccines directly against herpes zoster:

Zostavax vaccine (live attenuated) - not intended for vaccination after chickenpox disease;
Shingrix vaccine (inactivated recombinant) - can be used in cases of an existing Zostavax vaccination, as well as after a history of chickenpox.

And prophylactic vaccination against Chickenpox disease is recommended to prevent the occurrence of Herpes zoster in the future as a consequence of Chickenpox.

Varilrix vaccine (live attenuated) - against Chickenpox as prevention and Chickenpox and the future development of Herpes zoster.
Varivax vaccine (live attenuated) - early prevention of Chickenpox and, accordingly, the occurrence of Herpes zoster in the future.
Vaccine Okavax (live attenuated) - is intended for early vaccination of children and not sick adults as prevention of Chickenpox and the future possible development of Herpes zoster.