DRG00006-496300 Vaccine Shingles Zostavax 0.65Ml Sdv W/dil
- Zostavax: A New Vaccine to Reduce the Risk for Herpes Zoster in Older Adults. Background: Herpes zoster (HZ), or shingles, is caused by the reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) years after an initial varicella infection. About one million cases occur in the U.S. each year, most of them in individuals older than 60. The acute episode of unilateral vesicular eruption is often associated with severe pain; a debilitating, age-related, treatment-refractory complication, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), can last for months. Although prompt treatment with antiviral drugs such as famciclovir shortens the duration of the initial rash and pain, these agents do not prevent PHN. Waning cell-mediated immunity to VZV is thought to underlie HZ's age-related incidence and severity, and the new vaccine appears to work by boosting this immunity. Zostavax was licensed by the FDA on May 25, 2006.
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