2023-05-13 03:00:00
Knellipedia
The rose hidden for many years
Middle-aged people can also get shingles. The head of the clinic for infectiology at the Cantonal Hospital St.Gallen explains whether there is a trend towards an increase in cases.
Herpes zoster or shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox.
“I’m hearing more and more often about shingles, from people around 40. Is there an accumulation?” Asks A. B. from Aarau.
Shingles, a skin disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus like chickenpox, is not notifiable in Switzerland, which is why there are no official data. “However, the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report an increasing trend in shingles over the past 25 years across all age groups,” says Stefan Kuster, Head of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases at the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen.
Vaccination against chickenpox later prevents shingles
Reasons for the increase are not known. In the age group mentioned by the reader around 40, shingles is not uncommon, but much rarer. It occurs about two to three times more often in people over 70 years of age. “Anyone who has had chickenpox in the past can later develop shingles,” says Kuster. Therefore, vaccination against chickenpox in infancy is also a defense against shingles. There is a vaccination against this, which is recommended from the age of 65, and earlier for those with a weakened immune system.
If our reader meets a person with shingles, the risk of infection is not very high, but not impossible. Anyone who does not have chickenpox or has not been vaccinated against it is at risk of infection. These should not get too close to a person with shingles. Patients should cover the affected skin until the blisters are crusted and dry.
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