Shingles

Get the Shingrix Vaccine at Oakwood Pharmacy in Woodhouse Eaves!

Shingles (zoster) is a painful skin rash that is usually limited to a small area on one side of the body. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. In shingles, the virus is reactivated in nerve cells. It is estimated that 15-28% of people will develop shingles at some point in their life. People over the age of 65 are more likely to get shingles.

More people are getting shingles in recent years. A smaller proportion of the people who develop shingles are hospitalized because of effective new antiviral medications.

 

Symptoms

 

The most common symptoms are itching or tingling of the skin followed by a painful rash with blisters. The rash is usually limited to a small area on one side of the body.

Symptoms can include:
Malaise
Headache
Photophobia (sensitivity and intolerance to light)

 

Prevention

 

Shingles is not spread through sneezing, coughing or casual contact. A person is not contagious before blisters appear. The virus that causes chickenpox and shingles is spread by direct contact with the blisters. To prevent the spread of VZV, people with shingles should cover their rash, not touch or scratch the rash, and wash their hands often. Once the shingles rash develops crusts, the skin lesions are no longer contagious.

When a person with shingles infects another person with the virus, that virus will cause chickenpox, not shingles. Chickenpox occurs in people who have not had chickenpox before, nor been immunized against it.

 

Price

 

Shingrix £250

 

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