New shingles vaccine available at ROC!
What is Shingles? Shingles is a severely painful skin rash that can only occur in those that have previously had chickenpox. The chickenpox virus stays asleep in the body around the spine until something weakens your immune system such as steroids / chemotherapy / advancing age / chronic stress etc. Shingles (also called herpes […]
Having the shingles vaccine early
Following on from my last blog post on the chickenpox vaccine, it seems appropriate to complete the loop with a discussion around the shingles vaccine. Shingles is a very common and troublesome infection that is seen more frequently with age. Data from England and Wales suggests that over 50,000 cases of shingles occur in people […]
Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
What is Shingles? Shingles is a condition that is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. This is the same virus that causes chickenpox, and hence anyone who has had chickenpox in the past may develop shingles. Shingles is often referred to as herpes zoster infection. Approximately 20% of the population develop shingles during their lives, however […]
