Chickenpox and shingles caused by same virus,
vaccines available for both
By: Thomas Osborne, M.D.
Chickenpox is a childhood disease that used to be a common illness for most children. Caused by a virus known as varicella zoster, and highly contagious, it is spread through the air and also through contact with its rash. The infection begins in the upper respiratory tract, where the disease goes into an incubation period that lasts about 15 days. The virus then spreads to the bloodstream, migrating to the skin where the chickenpox rash soon forms. Shingles is a painful disease experienced by adults when the same virus that causes chickenpox is reactivated in the body. It is classically a painful rash on one side of the body over a limited area of skin. Shingles most often appear because of disease, immunity-suppressing drugs and age-related immunity issues, but the virus can occur in people who are young and healthy. You can’t catch shingles like you can catch chickenpox. The virus must already be in your nervous system, from a previous case of chickenpox. With shingles, the infection does not usually spread to the blood stream or lungs, so it does not become airborne. Therefore, while chickenpox is highly contagious, shingles is not. It is possible for people who have never had chickenpox to contract the virus from the shingles rash, however. Symptoms of shingles often begin with a headache and sensitivity to light. Flu-like symptoms, without a fever, follow. Later, pain and a rash on one side of the body appear. The rash emerges in a small strip, or band, and turns into clusters of blisters. The blisters fill with fluid, crust over, and eventually heal after a few weeks. More than one area of rash may form. The disease is most common in older adults, and most people who develop shingles make a full recovery. Sometimes shingles can lead to other conditions. In about 20 to 30 percent of all cases, shingles progresses into a very painful disease called postherpetic neuralgia, or PHN, which involves persistent pain and sensitivity to touch lasting at least 30 days. About 15 percent of people with shingles will get a disease that affects one or both eyes, called ophthalmic zoster. This involves a rash on the face, around the eye, forehead, cheek or nose. There is no cure for shingles, but medical treatment can lessen symptoms, help speed recovery and prevent other problems. Resting at home, keeping the rash and sores clean, trying not to itch the rash, following the advice of your medical professional and over-the-counter pain medication call all help to lessen the effects of shingles. Prevention is another option. There are vaccines available for both chickenpox and shingles. The FDA approved the chickenpox vaccine in 1995. According to the CDC, children should receive their first immunization for chickenpox between 12 and 15 months of age. A second immunization is recommended between four and six years. Since 2004, The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has required that all children receive the first immunization against chickenpox, or provide proof of having the disease. It is likely that the MDH will begin requiring the second immunization in the near future. Older children, teens and adults who have not had chickenpox and who have not been immunized should also receive the vaccine. Risks from the vaccine are substantially lower than the risks of contracting the chickenpox virus itself. A vaccine against shingles was approved in 2006, and is currently recommended for all adults age 60 and older. In a major clinical trial, the vaccine was shown to be more than 60 percent effective in reducing shingles symptoms. It was also shown to reduce the pain caused by PHN by at least two-thirds. Without vaccination, about 20 percent of people who have had chickenpox will eventually get shingles. It is currently estimated that over half a million Americans experience the painful symptoms of shingles each year. This statistic could decrease significantly if people age 60 and over are vaccinated against the disease. If you have questions about the shingles or chickenpox vaccines, or if you think you may have shingles, contact your health care provider. |
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Dr. Osborne is a board certified family practice physician at Raiter Clinic.
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