Prevention of Herpes Zoster and its complications: from the clinic to the real life experience with the vaccine.

Prevention of Herpes Zoster and its complications: from the clinic to the real life experience with the vaccine. J Med Microbiol. 2016 Nov 04;: Authors: Gabutti G, Valente N, Kuhdari P, Lupi S, Stefanati A Abstract The Herpes Zoster (HZ) is an acute viral illness characterized by a vesicular rash, with unilateral distribution, which can eventually cause severe complications, such as the post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), the ophthalmic zoster, stroke or other neurological complications. In Europe, an incidence between 2.0 and 4.6 cases per 1,000 persons-year is estimated, with an increase after 50 years of age. Currently, the therapeutic options for HZ are only partially effective to limit the acute phase, while the management of complications is frequently complex and not satisfactory. The overall burden of the disease and the elevated costs associated with diagnosis and clinical and therapeutic management led to the development of a new preventive approach through the live attenuated virus vaccine. The vaccine now available decreases the incidence of the disease, the PHN and the burden of illness. Moreover the vaccine is safe, well tolerated and it seems to confer a long-term protection. On the basis of the clinical results and evidences provided by Health Technology Assessment, several countries introduced immunization, although with different recommendations and methods of funding. PMID: 27902409 [PubMed - as supplied by publ...
Source: Journal of Medical Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: J Med Microbiol Source Type: research