The Future of Shingles
Currently, herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, affects twenty percent of the population at some point during their adult lives. Although eighty percent of the population is never affected by herpes zoster, most people agree that twenty percent is still too much. Because of the shared desire to make herpes zoster a thing of the past, medical researchers have been investigating a variety of ways to prevent all occurrences of shingles.
Of all the methods that have been investigated, a herpes zoster vaccine stands out as the most probable way for ending shingles. Although there is currently an effective vaccine for chickenpox, which is caused by the same virus as shingles, there is not a shingles vaccine that is completely effective. However, the FDA did approve a shingles vaccine in May 2006 that is currently being used to treat high-risk patients, including the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
This vaccine is actually designed to perform two functions. In addition to being used as a preventative measure, it also has another purpose. In several different tests, the vaccine has significantly reduced the seriousness and duration of cases of shingles.
Although shingles is a condition that currently affects twenty percent of the population, it will be eliminated with time. Just as polio and smallpox were once a major medical issue but have now been all but forgotten, the time will come when people no longer have to suffer as a result of shingles. |
