Chickenpox Vaccine: Shingles Cases May Be Increased In Young Adults
Statistics from the Centers for Disease control and Prevention reveal that 1 out of 3 Americans will develop shingles in his or her lifetime and nearly 1 million Americans will experience the condition each year. Health officials note as we get older, we're more likely to be at risk for the health issue, as about half of all cases occur in those 60 and older.
New findings published in the journal eLife reveal that the chickenpox vaccine may increase the incidence of shingles--a painful, blistering skin rash also known as herpes zoster. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), otherwise known as the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in the body. However, for reasons that are not yet fully understood, it can come back years later, resulting in shingles.
In this current study, researchers at the Universities of Antwerp and Hasselt predicted that the temporary effect of a rise in shingles cases dominates in 31 to 40 year olds. However, this is younger than previously predicted and this age group is less at risk of developing the most serious shingles symptoms, researchers say.
While vaccination programs are established in many countries besides the United States, including Australia, Germany, Greece, Japan and Taiwan, many countries have also avoided introducing a universal chickenpox vaccination in children as it was previously predicted that the reduction in chickenpox related disease would be outbalanced by the temporary increase in shingles-related disease.
Health officials had once thought that re-exposure to the chickenpox virus could boost shingles immunity for up to 20 years. However, new modeling based on both immunological and virological data, suggests that it's only two years.
"We were surprised to find that re-exposure to chickenpox is beneficial for so few years and also that the most pronounced effect of vaccination on increasing cases of shingles is in younger adults," Dr. Benson Ogunjimi, the study's lead author said in a statement.
Symptoms of shingles may include a burning or shooting pain, often on one side of the body or face, according to the National Institute of Health, followed by rashes or blisters. The pain can oftentimes last for up to weeks or in more severe cases, even years.
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