This is the first time Vietnamese people have had the opportunity to access the shingles vaccine, one of the "rare" vaccines in the world.
Dr. Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of the VNVC Vaccination System, said that the herpes zoster vaccine is produced by the GSK Pharmaceutical Group using inactivated recombinant technology and a formula containing special pharmaceutical ingredients, and has been used since 2017. This vaccine has been proven to be up to 97% effective in preventing the disease in people aged 50 and over and up to 87% in people aged 18 and over with immunodeficiency due to illness. In particular, it is effective in reducing post-herpetic neuralgia and other complications by more than 90%.
Previously, more than 50 countries have approved and put into use GSK's herpes zoster vaccine. Currently, in addition to our country, many countries such as the UK, Australia, Greece, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, etc. have ordered large quantities to include in the national vaccination program for the entire population.
The herpes zoster vaccine is indicated for adults 50 years of age and older and people 18 years of age and older who are at high risk of developing herpes zoster. People 50 years of age and older receive two doses, two months apart. People 18 years of age and older who are at high risk of developing herpes zoster receive two doses, one month apart.
Arriving at the VNVC Hoang Van Thu Center in Phu Nhuan District (HCMC) early to wait for the shingles vaccine, Ms. Bui Thi Thanh Hai (72 years old, Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City, HCMC) said that she had shingles 3 years ago, and then every September the disease relapsed. The nerve pain caused by shingles made her feel pain, uncomfortable and unable to do anything.
“Last September, shingles spread to my right eye, causing it to swell, making it difficult for me to see and sleep. After that, the pus-filled shingles moved to my forehead, down to my ears, and up to my head… causing me sharp pain and discomfort. I took the right dose of medicine for about 2 weeks and it was gone, then it came back,” Ms. Hai shared.
Being old and having a weak immune system, since getting shingles, what Ms. Hai wishes for is for Vietnam to have a vaccine to prevent the disease from recurring, as well as reduce the nerve pain caused by shingles. "When I read the news that VNVC brought the shingles vaccine from a Belgian pharmaceutical company to the country, I registered to get vaccinated right away," Ms. Hai happily shared.
According to Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Infectious Diseases Association, the shingles vaccine prevents the reactivation of the virus that is latent in the nerve ganglia after chickenpox, thereby reducing the risk of shingles and related complications. This is a proactive and effective preventive solution for people aged 50 or 18 and older who are at high risk of shingles.
According to Ms. Vu Thi Thu Ha, Supply Director of VNVC Vaccination System, from the beginning of 2024 until now, VNVC has joined the world's leading vaccine and pharmaceutical companies such as GSK, Pfizer, MSD, Takeda... to bring to Vietnam 4 important disease prevention vaccines such as new generation meningococcal B, pneumococcal 23, dengue fever and shingles to vaccinate children and adults at hundreds of VNVC centers nationwide.
The continuous introduction of new and important vaccines for the Vietnamese people demonstrates the determination and efforts to increase the rate of vaccine coverage, improve the health and quality of life for children and adults in Vietnam, in addition to the good implementation of safe vaccination activities and high-quality services of VNVC.
Shingles is a post-varicella disease caused by the Varicella Zoster virus (VZV). This is also the cause of chickenpox. People infected with the VZV virus for the first time will get chickenpox. After recovering from the disease, the virus is not completely destroyed but resides in the nerve roots and will reactivate to cause shingles when favorable conditions such as old age, immunodeficiency, underlying diseases, and chronic diseases are encountered.
Doctors recommend that anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles. Symptoms in people with the disease include red rashes, blisters, and vesicles clustered in clusters along the distribution of peripheral nerves, usually on one side of the body. The disease usually appears and can be cured after about 2-4 weeks. However, if not treated properly, people with weak immune systems will cause a series of serious complications, especially common in the elderly and people with immunodeficiency diseases, underlying diseases such as skin lesions, high levels of pain, persistent nerve pain, blindness, facial paralysis, pneumonia, hepatitis, encephalitis, meningitis, stroke ...
In particular, about 5-30% of patients will experience post-herpetic neuralgia complications that last for months, years, or even a lifetime. The cause is the virus causing inflammation, necrosis, and fibrosis of sensory nerve endings.
The older you are, the greater the risk of nerve pain and the more severe the disease. The rate of patients with this complication in people over 50 years old is 15-25 times higher than in people under 30 years old.
According to Dr. Chinh, previously, the high recurrence rate of shingles was due to many people not being vaccinated. “In addition to the chickenpox vaccine, the shingles vaccine is the best way to help people prevent the disease,” Dr. Chinh shared.
