China News Service, Guangzhou, March 10 (Cai Minjie and He Yuhang) Recently, Guangdong's climate has changed repeatedly, the human body's resistance has decreased, and herpes zoster has also entered a period of high incidence.
At the non-immunization program vaccination program training course held by the Guangdong Provincial Preventive Medicine Society on the 9th, participating experts said that even if someone has received the chickenpox vaccine early or has been infected with chickenpox, the chickenpox-zoster virus can still lie dormant in the human body.
More than 90% of adults carry the virus, so timely vaccination is key.
Zheng Yue, director of the Dermatology Department of Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, said that the herpes zoster virus can be transmitted through droplets and contact. Once the human body is infected with the virus, it will cause a common disease "chickenpox", and a small number of cases will be asymptomatic. Insidious infection.
The varicella-zoster virus does not disappear after infection, but remains latent in the spinal cord and heel ganglia of our body for a long time.
As age increases, immunity declines, and even fatigue, colds, etc., the latent virus will reactivate, grow and reproduce, and transfer to the skin through the sensory nerve axis to cause herpes zoster.
Chickenpox usually occurs in childhood after being infected with the varicella-zoster virus.
After you recover from chickenpox, the virus can still lie dormant in your body.
Under the stimulation of factors such as advanced age and low immunity, the latent varicella-zoster virus in the body may be "activated" again, causing shingles.
Data show that more than 90% of adults have varicella-zoster virus latent in their bodies, and about 1/3 of people will develop shingles in their lifetime.
Herpes zoster is a self-limiting disease, and some patients with strong resistance will recover on their own in 2 to 3 weeks.
The goal of treating shingles is to prevent post-herpetic neuralgia, so prompt medical attention is required.
After shingles is cured and the pain persists for more than 3 months, it can be defined as postherpetic neuralgia.
Vaccination is the most effective and feasible way to prevent shingles and postherpetic neuralgia.
Data provided by the Guangzhou Disease Control and Prevention Department show that from 2020 to 2023, the number of herpes zoster virus vaccine doses and the number of people vaccinated in Guangzhou have increased year by year, but the vaccination rate is still extremely low.
Zheng Yue said that currently, there is no specific medicine for herpes zoster, and vaccination is the most effective means of prevention.
The protective efficacy of vaccines based on different technical routes also differs. The most important thing is to choose a vaccine that is suitable in all aspects.
Middle-aged and elderly people can consult a professional doctor before vaccination and choose under the guidance of a doctor.
Patients with immune deficiency or immunosuppressive diseases need to pay attention to the contraindications to vaccination. It is recommended to receive recombinant herpes zoster vaccine, because the protective ability of the vaccine based on this technical route and the impact on other diseases will be smaller and safer.
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