UAE: Suffering from shingles?Vaccines, Prevention; Everything You Need to Know – News

The condition affects people of all ages, but the risk of infection increases with age, medical experts say

Once you get chickenpox, you can also get a painful viral infection called shingles later in life, a medical expert says.

Shingles is a viral infection of the nerve and the surrounding skin caused by the shingles virus, the same virus that causes the chickenpox infection, said Dr Zainab Ali Asghar, a family medicine specialist at the HealthHub Clinic in Dubai.

“The virus lies dormant in the body after contracting chickenpox. It can become active again years later and cause shingles, a rash with blisters that usually form a band on the skin, usually Very painful. The rash usually affects only one side of the body.”

Dr. Asghar elaborated further, noting that shingles is the reactivation of a latent varicella-zoster virus infection. “Shingles only occurs in people who have had chickenpox (varicella) before. Shingles is not seasonal and does not occur in epidemics. However, there is a strong relationship with advancing age.

In line with global trends, the number of shingles cases in the UAE has risen due to [an] The increase in life expectancy in the country and [an] Chronic diseases such as diabetes have increased prevalence and are part of post-Covid-19 complications. “

Shingles affects people of all ages, but the risk of infection increases with age. “It’s especially common in adults over the age of 50. It’s also more common in people of all ages with conditions that weaken the immune system, including chronic stress.”

Dr. Asghar noted that there is no cure for shingles. “Starting antiviral medication early can help reduce the severity and duration of the disease. The most effective way to prevent shingles is to get vaccinated.

According to the Dubai Health Authority clinical guidelines for best practice in immunization, the shingles vaccine is recommended for all adults aged 50 or over to prevent [the disease] and its complications. “

Dr. Asghar recommends that adults age 50 and older get two doses of the shingles vaccine.

“My advice to the people of the UAE is to know about this disease and that it can be prevented by vaccinating adults aged 50 or over with the shingles vaccine, which is 2 doses given 2 to 6 months apart.

Adults aged 18 to 50 with weakened immune systems due to cancer, bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy and other chronic health conditions are encouraged to seek advice from their family doctor about a vaccine to prevent shingles, which is painful and can cause severe Complications,” Dr. Asghar added.