Shingles Vaccine
Shingles is a painful and uncomfortable infection that causes a rash, usually on the chest and abdominal area on one side of the body only.
What Is Shingles?
Shingles is an infection caused by the chickenpox virus that manifests as a painful and uncomfortable blotchy rash on the skin, appearing on one side of the body only. It usually appears on the chest and tummy, although it can take hold anywhere on the body, including the face, eyes and genitals.
Prior to the appearance of the rash, you may start to experience a tingling or painful feeling in an area of your skin, as well as a headache and a feeling of being generally unwell.
It can take up to four weeks for the rash to heal and you may find that your skin is painful for weeks after the rash has healed and disappeared. This should improve over time, however.
Although it isn’t possible to spread shingles to others it is still important to self-isolate if you have the infection because people who haven’t had chickenpox may catch this disease from you. Self-isolation should take place as long as the rash is still oozing fluid, as this is when infection can be spread.
To treat the symptoms of shingles, you can take paracetamol and use a cool compress a few times a day. Avoid using antibiotic cream as this can slow the healing process and avoid using plasters or dressings that can stick to the rash.
Is There A Shingles Vaccine?
There is a shingles vaccine available on the NHS to anyone in their 70s, administered as a single injection in the upper arm. You only need to have this vaccination once and it can be administered at any time of year. Most people only need to have one dose, but there are two doses available to those who are unable to have the routine vaccine for whatever reason.
You are also able to have the vaccine even if you’ve already had shingles and it has been found to be very effective, boosting your immunity to the infection even more. However, you may have to wait for up to a year after having had shingles before you can have the vaccine.
Note that the vaccine isn’t available on the NHS to anyone over the age of 80 because it is less effective for this age bracket.
How Does The Shingles Vaccine Work?
The shingles vaccine is a live vaccine, which means that it contains a weaker version of the chicken pox virus (varicella-zoster). It is similar to the chickenpox vaccine, but not identical.
If you are immunocompromised, however, you will not be able to have the live version of the vaccine. Instead, you will be offered a non-live vaccine called Shingrix.
At Enimed Group, our pharmacies provide a range of different vaccinations, including the shingles vaccine.
Our specialist pharmacists can administer the appropriate treatments, as well as providing a walk-in clinic service and up-to-date health advice for a range of different conditions.