Shingles: green light for vaccination
Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for
More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.New standard vaccination for people over 60: A syringe against the varicella zoster chickenpox virus protects against painful shingles. After the Federal Joint Committee (GBA) declared vaccination to be a statutory standard benefit, the statutory health insurance companies have been taking over the costs since the beginning of May.
The dead vaccine against the varicella zoster virus has been available in Germany for a year (houseofgoldhealthproducts reported). It contains killed pathogens and an enhancer that activates the immune system particularly well after vaccination. As a result, the immunization works better than previous preparations.
Shingles: painful complications
The vaccination protects against shingles, but above all against serious complications. Every year around 300,000 people develop the typical painful chain of vesicles around the waist or, less often, on the neck or face.
About five percent of those affected develop what is known as post-therapeutic neuralgia, a painful inflammation of the nerves. The symptoms can persist even after the shingles subsides and severely reduce the quality of life.
Vaccination for everyone over 60
The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute and the GBA now recommend vaccination to all people over 60 years of age.
Anyone who has an increased risk of developing shingles can be vaccinated from the age of 50. This includes people with
• congenital or acquired immune deficiency (e.g. HIV infection)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• systemic lupus erythematosus
• inflammatory bowel disease
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or bronchial asthma
• chronic renal failure
• diabetes
Effective protection - even in old age
The vaccine was convincing in studies: 92 percent of the participants showed the protective effect. Even 90 percent of the study participants over 70 years of age still benefited from the vaccination - despite the weakening immune system in old age.
Two injections are required for full protection. The interval between vaccinations should be at least two and a maximum of six months.
No serious side effects
As a result of the vaccination, the majority of patients experience pain at the injection site, redness and swelling. Fatigue, fever and muscle pain also occur. So far, however, there have been no serious side effects, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
After chickenpox comes shingles
The first contact with the varicella zoster virus usually occurs in childhood and causes chickenpox. The viruses stay in the body for life and can become active again in adulthood. This mainly happens when the immune system is weakened.
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