Herpes Zóster vaccination increased among adults over 50 in the US during Covid-19 pandemic, although not equitably in all population groups. This is the main conclusion of a new study conducted by the Jialing Lin health systems researcher in collaboration with other colleagues, published in the magazine Vaccine.
The Herpes Zóster is due to the reactivation of the Vecicela-Zóster virus, the same one that causes the chickenpox. It produces a painful cutaneous eruption and can cause serious complications, especially in older adults, such as persistent nerve pain, loss of vision and neurological problems.
While antiviral treatments can relieve symptoms, vaccination is the most effective way to prevent herpes zóter.
We analyze data from representative surveys nationwide of almost 80 thousand adults over 50, compiled between 2018 and 2022 by the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), with the aim of monitoring the health of the American population.
The survey analyzed vaccination rates in people from different ethnic origins, as well as other factors such as sex, family income and the presence of chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.
Vaccination against Herpes Zóster increased significantly during pandemic: 25.1% among those who had a recommendation to vaccinate in 2018-2019, 30.1% in the 2020-2022 period. This general increase was observed in almost all analyzed groups.
The greatest relative increases occurred among the groups that historically had registered the lowest vaccination rates against the soapbar. These included adults from 50 to 64 years, men, people belonging to racial and ethnic minorities (as non -Hispanic black adults), people with low income, smokers and who did not suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer or arthritis.
The importance of herpes zoster vaccination
In the US, CDC recommends vaccination against herpes zoster for all adults over 50. However, coverage has been historically low, partly due to poor awareness, concerns about costs and loss of opportunities during medical routine consultations.
Covid-19 pandemic, although disruptive, could have created new opportunities to improve adult vaccination, especially among groups with low previous coverage.
Among the factors that probably contributed to this change are greater public awareness about the importance of vaccination, an increase in medical consultations-especially during the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine-, and greater availability of adult vaccines in pharmacies and primary care centers.
It also influenced the replacement of the old viva vaccine attenuated against the Herpes Zóster, called Zostavax, by the new vaccine does not live, Shingrix, in 2020. To this were added public health campaigns that promoted the co -administration of vaccines and dissemination campaigns aimed at marginalized populations.
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Persistence of inequalities
Despite the general improvement in vaccination rates, important inequalities persist. The groups that before the pandemic had a lower coverage continue to lagged compared to the non -Hispanic white populations of greater purchasing power and with greater access to medical services.
In general, the vaccination rate against Herpes Zóster is still low, lower than that of other vaccines such as the flu. This gap reflects long -standing structural disparities in access to medical care, which were accentuated even more during the pandemic.
In addition, it highlights the need to implement more equitable policies and personalized dissemination strategies that promote trust and awareness of the benefits of the blame vaccine.
What is not yet known
Although the upward trend is encouraging, there are several questions to answer. For example, the survey data does not allow to know if the participants received both doses of the Shingrix vaccine, necessary for complete protection.
Nor was it possible to determine if the participants received the Herpes Zóster vaccine together with the COVID-19 vaccine. Receiving multiple vaccines in a single query can facilitate access and increase vaccination rates by reducing the need for multiple visits.
It is also unknown how coverage between immunosuppressed people during this period. Current guidelines recommend that immunosuppressed adults, regardless of their age, also receive the shackle vaccine. However, the data only included adults over 50.
Addressing these questions in future studies will allow public health experts to develop more effective strategies to encourage a greater number of eligible people to receive the Herpes Zóster vaccine.
*Jialing Lin is a researcher in health systems of the International Center for Future Health Systems at UNSW Sydney.
This article was originally published in The Conversation
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