NDO - On the afternoon of November 21, the Vietnam Medical Association organized a roundtable discussion on Vaccination in adults and prevention of shingles.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster (HZ), is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. It is a common, painful disease that can lead to serious and long-term complications. People with shingles often have acute symptoms such as a painful, itchy, or tingling rash on one side of the body.
The outbreak lasts 2-4 weeks and can often be very painful. The symptoms and complications of shingles can be severe and persistent, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised. In addition, shingles reduces the quality of life of those affected, and creates an economic burden for the health sector and society.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Xuyen, President of the Vietnam Medical Association, many infectious diseases can be prevented by vaccines. This is considered a proactive and effective disease prevention measure with a safety assessment record. Early prevention of infectious diseases will contribute to reducing the burden of disease and improving the quality of life, while reducing the burden on the health sector.
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Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Xuyen spoke at the roundtable discussion. |
Sharing at the discussion, experts in the fields of infectious diseases, nephrology, respiratory medicine, endocrinology, musculoskeletal system, etc. said that the gradual decline of the immune system over time is called immunosenescence, making the body increasingly susceptible to pathogens. Immunosenescence becomes more obvious and severe with age, increasing the risk of infections and health problems.
Some studies show that 1 in 3 adults will have shingles. Notably, more than 90% of adults aged 50 and older carry the varicella zoster virus (VZV) latent in the nervous system and are at higher risk of developing shingles. Post-herpetic neuralgia can often last more than 3 months. The disease can cause dangerous complications, although very rare, such as blindness (when shingles occurs in the eyes) or hearing loss. Studies also show a link between shingles and cardiovascular diseases such as stroke.
According to the Department of Preventive Medicine ( Ministry of Health ), Vietnam currently has about 22 million people aged 18-69 with chronic diseases, mainly non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer... This is considered a population group with a higher risk of getting shingles along with more severe complications.
Professor, Dr. Tran Huu Dang, President of the Vietnam Endocrinology - Diabetes Association, shared that shingles is one of the diseases that can cause long-term and serious effects, especially for people with underlying diseases such as diabetes. Shingles not only causes severe and prolonged pain but is also related to loss of blood sugar control, even causing acute complications, which can affect the prognosis of the disease. Therefore, proactive prevention of shingles is extremely important to protect health and limit the risk of complications in diabetic patients.
Treatment of shingles and complications such as neuralgia is a complex issue. Antiviral drugs should be used early within 72 hours, but this is difficult to do in clinical practice. In addition, drugs to treat shingles, especially post-herpetic neuralgia, are not really effective. Meanwhile, the elderly often have to take many types of drugs to treat underlying diseases, and may not be able to tolerate the use of other drugs used to treat acute shingles or chronic post-herpetic neuralgia.
Along with disease prevention measures such as exercise, not smoking, healthy eating or chronic disease screening, vaccination plays an important role in contributing to improving the health of adults.
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Introducing the reference document "Prevention of Shingles with Vaccine". |
On this occasion, the Vietnam Medical Association also officially launched the reference document "Prevention of Shingles with Vaccine" for medical staff, marking an important step forward in preventing Shingles in adults over 50 years old, especially those with chronic diseases.
The reference document “Prevention of shingles with vaccines” gathers information on the pathological characteristics, complications, and epidemiology of shingles, and updates current shingles prevention measures that can be applied in Vietnam. This is the result of close cooperation between leading medical experts in many specialties, medical associations, and hospitals to systematize guidelines for implementing shingles prevention in a consistent manner.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/90-so-nguoi-tren-50-tuoi-mang-virus-gay-benh-zona-post846138.html
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