Defeating Shingles

The New York Times: No Excuses, People: Get the New Shingles Vaccine.

“Dr. William Schaffner, preventive disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said, “This vaccine has spectacular initial protection rates in every age group. The immune system of a 70- or 80-year-old responds as if the person were only 25 or 30.“

“This really looks to be a breakthrough in vaccinating older adults,“ agreed Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, a physician and researcher at the National Institutes of Health.

What’s causing the enthusiasm: Shingrix, which the pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline intends to begin shipping this month. Large international trials have shown that the vaccine prevents more than 90 percent of shingles cases, even at older ages.”

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I will keep an eye on when this vaccine will be available here in Germany for sure.

Hier in Deutschland bzw. in der EU ist Shingrix noch nicht zugelassen, aber die Zulassung wurde bereits im November 2016 bei der EMA beantragt und wird für 2018 erwartet. (Quelle: Robert Koch Institut)