On October 4, VNVC Vaccination System and GSK Pharmaceutical Group (Belgium) officially launched the shingles vaccine in Vietnam.
Shingles is a post-chickenpox disease caused by the Varicella Zoster virus (VZV). People infected with VZV for the first time will get chickenpox.
After recovering from chickenpox, the virus is not completely destroyed but hides in the nerve roots and will reactivate to cause shingles when encountering favorable conditions such as: old age, immune deficiency, stress, physical weakness, after surgery, cancer treatment, underlying diseases such as: cardiovascular, asthma, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, musculoskeletal...
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| Injecting shingles vaccine for people at VNVC Vaccination System. (Photo: Phong Lan) |
Anyone who has had chickenpox before can get shingles. Although this disease does not break out into a large epidemic, it causes a series of serious complications, such as: skin damage, high levels of pain, persistent nerve pain, facial paralysis, blindness, pneumonia, hepatitis, encephalitis, meningitis, stroke...
Specialist Doctor I Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of VNVC Vaccination System, said that the herpes zoster vaccine (herpes zoster) was introduced into use worldwide by pharmaceutical company GSK in 2017.
To date, this vaccine has been approved and used in more than 50 countries, many of which have placed large orders to include in their national vaccination programs for the entire population, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Greece, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, etc.
The vaccine is produced using inactivated and recombinant technology and a formula containing pharmaceutical ingredients, especially helping to increase effectiveness in the elderly, people with underlying diseases, and people with immunodeficiency due to illness.
The vaccine is up to 97% effective in preventing herpes zoster in people aged 50 and older and up to 87% in people aged 18 and older with immunodeficiency due to illness, while reducing postherpetic neuralgia and other complications by more than 90%.
This vaccine is indicated for adults 50 years of age and older and for people 18 years of age and older who are at high risk for shingles. People 50 years of age and older receive 2 doses 2 months apart. People 18 years of age and older who are at high risk for shingles receive 2 doses 1 month apart.
Sharing about the factors that promote shingles, Associate Professor, Dr. Hoang Thi Lam, Head of the Department of Clinical Immunology, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that according to studies, people with chronic diseases have a 20-40% higher risk of getting shingles, shingles recurrence, and post-herpetic neuralgia complications than the general population. For example, patients with type 2 diabetes have a nearly double risk of getting shingles than people without the disease, and cardiovascular disease increases the risk of getting shingles by up to 34%. Post-herpetic neuralgia also increases with age, especially in the 50-79 age group. In addition, people who are often under psychological stress have a 47% higher risk of getting shingles than normal people.
Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Infectious Diseases Association, commented: “The herpes zoster vaccine prevents the reactivation of the virus that is latent in the nerve ganglia after chickenpox, thereby reducing the risk of herpes zoster and related complications. This is an active and effective preventive solution for people aged 50 or 18 and older at high risk of herpes zoster.”
According to Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, herpes zoster vaccination has been widely recommended, in which GSK's vaccine is recommended for people aged 50 and over in most countries as well as prioritized and indicated for people with immunodeficiency. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has included herpes zoster vaccination in the National Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Dermatological Diseases 2023. The recommendation for herpes zoster vaccination for patients with chronic underlying diseases is also included in national vaccination recommendations and professional associations such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Asthma, Diabetes, and Musculoskeletal System.
Ms. Vu Thi Thu Ha, Supply Director of VNVC Vaccination System, said that with the advantage of being a comprehensive strategic partner of pharmaceutical company GSK for many years, VNVC has placed early orders in large quantities and made efforts with the manufacturer to bring in a large quantity of vaccines to deploy vaccination for the Vietnamese people. The vaccine is now available at nearly 200 VNVC vaccination centers nationwide and VNVC is the first vaccination system to have this vaccine./.
Source: https://dangcongsan.vn/y-te/lan-dau-tien-tiem-vac-xin-zona-than-kinh-tai-viet-nam-679715.html
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