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Shingrix has been approved for preventing shingles – herpes zoster in adults. Shingrix is a non-live, recombinant subunit vaccine given intramuscularly in two doses. Shingrix represents a significant scientific advancement in the field of vaccinology.
The vaccine has shown over 90% efficacy across all age groups in the prevention of shingles, a painful and potentially serious disease. The risk and severity of shingles increases with age as the immune system loses the ability to produce effective response to infection. Shingrix was developed specifically to overcome the age-related decline in immunity.
Shingrix demonstrated efficacy against shingles greater than 90% across all age groups, as well as sustained efficacy over a follow-up period of 4 years. It also reduced the overall incidence of postherpetic neuralgia PHN a form of chronic nerve pain and the most common complication associated with shingles.
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus VZV, the same virus that causes chickenpox some adults have the VZV dormant in their nervous system, waiting to reactivate with advancing age.
As people age, the cells in the immune system lose the ability to maintain a strong and effective response to VZV. Shingles typically presents as a painful, itchy rash that develops on one side of the body and can last for two to four weeks. The pain associated with shingles is often described as burning, shooting or stabbing.
Do not receive Shingrix if you are allergic to any of its ingredients or had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of Shingrix. The most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and stomach ache.