Understand what Herpes Zoster is and what the main symptoms of the disease are

Herpes zoster is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus – the same as chicken pox.

In an interview with CNN Radio in the Medical Correspondent, infectologist Clóvis Arns da Cunha explained that it differs from herpes simplex.

Although they are of the same genus, the simple one usually has vesicles on the lip, genitals and arms, and “has a lot of recurrence, which can appear in cases of stress.”

The medication is antiviral and there is no vaccine against it.

Zoster, on the other hand, “is different”: those who had contact with the chickenpox virus, having evolved into the disease or becoming asymptomatic, remain with it latent in the body.

Thus, “from the age of 50, when the body’s defense capacity decreases, this portion of the population is at greater risk of having zoster.”

Generally, “it affects only one side of the body, in the eye and forehead area or in the chest and back.”

According to Arns, the skin turns red and “there are dozens, sometimes hundreds, of water blisters.”

“This phase presents pain”, he said, and the main complication comes 3 months later, in the neuritis phase, that is, inflammation of the nerves.

“The patient often remains in pain for months”, he said, reinforcing that the elderly are more likely to have this intense pain.

The transmission of the virus occurs by direct contact with the skin or respiratory secretions, from person to person.

The treatment is done with antivirals: “The drugs we use are only effective if used in the first three days of the lesion.”

For this reason, when identifying injuries, it is important to seek a doctor.

The infectologist noted that there is a vaccine against herpes zoster, indicated for people aged 50 or over or over 18 who are immunosuppressed.

There are two doses, with an interval of two to six months, without the need for reinforcement, with efficiency between 90 and 95%.

*Produced by Isabel Campos