Nurses warn of low herpes zoster vaccination rate: 600,000 cases in a decade

The General Council of Nursing (CGE) on Tuesday insisted on the importance of vaccination against shinglesvery recent guidance from the National Health System (SNS), which still does not cover the entire population needed. This disease, caused by the same varicella zoster virus, has caused more than 65,000 hospitalizations in Spain from 1998 to 2018, according to data from the Carlos III Institute of Health (ISCIII).

Epidemiological data on herpes zoster show incidence 446.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022, when 76,522 infections were recorded, with uptrend. From 2014 to 2022, ISCIII counted 632,883 cases of herpes zoster.

The vaccine has been available since 2022 for various risk groups, but “it needs wider roots in society and among the target population,” said Pilar Fernandez, director of the Higher Institute of Medical Training (ISFOS), at an event organized by the CGE. . Shingles “causes such enormous pain that it can even affect your personal, work and social life. We know that vaccines work, and as nurses we need to communicate that to the public,” he added.

Although there is no data at the national level, the communities that collect them, such as Andalusia, the Valencian Community, Madrid or Castile and Leon, have very low vaccination ratethey estimate the CGE to be “45 to 55% for the first dose and decreasing by about one 10% for second dose– said Alejandro Cremades, nurse at the Elda Public Health Center (Alicante).

For nurses who are experts in this field, the biggest disadvantage of herpes vaccination is fatigue what the population represents after the pandemic And anti-vaccine hoaxes which can be found on social networks. For this reason, they insist that doses against this disease reduce the number of people who develop it by up to 90%. Among those who eventually become infected, complications are reduced by 90%.

Vaccine absolutely safeAccording to the Ministry of Health, which explains that “it is well tolerated by both healthy and immunocompromised people.” This may cause side effects such as pain at the injection site, redness and swelling, which go away in 2-3 days. In other cases, the vaccine may cause muscle pain, fatigue, headache, fever, chills, or gastrointestinal symptoms that may last 1 to 2 days. No serious side effects found.

The Ministry of Health assures that vaccination The most effective measure to prevent shingles. A vaccine produced by DNA recombination methods and containing the varicella zoster virus glycoprotein E and an adjuvant is currently available in Spain.

The complete regimen consists of two doses, which must be administered with an interval of 2 to 6 months between them. Both drugs are administered intramuscularly. Health recommends vaccination people over 65 years old

already people over 18 years old who are at high risk of developing this disease due to previous pathologies. Indicated for people who have undergone bone marrow transplantation (hemopoietic stem cell transplantation), solid organ transplantation, and treatment with anti-JAK drugs. It is also recommended for people with HIV infection, malignant hemopathy, solid tumors receiving chemotherapy, and a history of at least two episodes of herpes zoster.

In addition, cohorts from 66 to 80 years of age can be gradually recruited, starting at age 80 years.