Shingles

The authors of the study suggest that any patient with HZ should be tested for COVID-19, even if the individual has mild symptoms or no history of upper respiratory symptoms.

The efforts of pharmacists to keep their doors open during the pandemic, build COVID-19 testing sites, and prepare for and administer COVID-19 vaccinations took extraordinary investment and determination.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges and opportunities, and this requires agility and flexibility.

A study comparing the efficacy of the 2 commercially available herpes zoster (HZ) vaccines, the live zoster vaccine and the non-live recombinant zoster vaccine, found that RZV has both higher efficacy and broader use cases, according to the authors.

Researchers found that viral variants expressed their genes at different rates and quantities, which likely contributes to the different timing and severity of symptoms within hosts.

In addition to prevention with a live attenuated vaccine, treatment options for herpes zoster can include antivirals or symptom management with corticosteroids or analgesics.

Experts say the clinical presentation of herpes zoster in pregnant women should be carefully monitored and reported for further assessment, especially if it is associated with other signs of COVID-19.

New research suggests immunosuppressants do not increase the risk of worse COVID-19 outcomes.

A new thesis presented at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, found that although immunizing children against chicken pox saves money, offering shingles vaccinations to all adults 65 years of age would not.

Glucose levels should be screened at herpes zoster diagnosis.

A genetically edited form of herpes simplex virus altered to prevent it from avoiding an immune response outperformed a leading vaccine candidate.

With more awareness of the susceptibility to coinfection with varicella zoster virus and pneumocystic jirovecii, clinicians should aggressively seek signs of opportunistic infections in susceptible patients and treat them accordingly.

Study suggests herpes simplex virus type 1 infection can spread to the fetal brain during pregnancy.

Even in a relatively asymptomatic case of COVID-19, it is possible that the virus could have fostered retrograde reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus.

Dissecting the mechanisms of this immunomodulation could provide important insights into varicella zoster virus pathogenesis and will be important when designing new vaccines and antivirals.

Researchers found that herpes prevalence increased steadily with age, with the lowest rates among those aged 20 years or younger and the highest rates among those aged 50 years and older.

Herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, is often painful and in some cases last more than a year.

Top news of the week from Pharmacy Times.

Due to the suboptimal rates of live-attenuated varicella vaccination, outbreaks of varicella-zoster virus still occur, causing incidence of both varicella and herpes zoster.

The physical and emotional stress of a COVID-19 diagnosis might be the triggering factor for the development of herpes zoster ophthalmicus.

Although herpes zoster is rare in children, a case study suggests that it can develop in immunocompetent children after vaccination.

Top news of the week from Pharmacy Times.

The FDA has approved mepolizumab for the treatment of hypereosinophilic syndrome.

The FDA has approved tofacitinib for the treatment of children and adolescents 2 years and older with active polyarticular course juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Though more research is needed, reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus may be caused by a decrease in absolute lymphocytes caused by COVID-19.

In a comprehensive systematic review that assessed risk factors for HZ infection, researchers found that immunosuppression through HIV/AIDS or malignancy places individuals at a significant risk.

Despite some challenges, these programs increase rates and follow-up doses and improve patient communication.

Room for improvement remains, based on 3 factors identified by WHO: complacency, confidence, and convenience.

Pharmacists have become widely accepted as immunization advocates, educators, and administrators, and an increasing proportion of influenza vaccines are being administered in community pharmacies nationwide.

Counseling pearls and considerations for the shingles vaccine, such as navigating insurance coverage, managing adverse events, and handling a missed dose in the series, are discussed.