Abstract

CONDE, Margarida Gil  and  RAMOS, Raquel Carmona. Herpes zoster vaccine in portugal. Rev Port Med Geral Fam [online]. 2020, vol.36, n.6, pp.520-523.  Epub Dec 01, 2020. ISSN 2182-5173.  https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v36i6.12608.

Herpes zoster (HZ), also known as shingles, is a disease caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster (VZ) virus. Increasing age can be a risk factor for the development of HZ, which has, as main complications, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and herpes zoster ophtalmicus (HZO). Vaccination against VZ is an effective and safe method for prevention in immunocompetent patients and it is recommended, according to many studies, for patients over 60 years old. Although there are two vaccines available in the United States of America, in Portugal only the live-attenuated vaccine (LAV), Zostavax®, was approved.

Despite the lack of studies, the ones that were conducted seem to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness superiority of the recombinant vaccine (RV), Shingrix®, when compared to the LAV.

It is estimated that 10-30% of the Portuguese population is affected by the reactivation of the virus, which demonstrates the need to evaluate the real impact of the disease on our population. It is also necessary to study the benefits of recommending vaccination to every immunocompetent patient above 60 years old and of approving the new RV.

Keywords : Herpes zoster vaccine; Postherpetic neuralgia..

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