The Canadian Pain Society supports the NACI recommendations on shingles
vaccination
Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of experiencing the painful reality of shingles
OSHAWA, ON,
In
"The NACI recommendations make it clear that this new vaccine is an effective measure for reducing the risk of shingles and its complications in people 60 and older by approximately 60%. Although the vaccine can also be given to those over 50, its effectiveness in this age group is yet to be determined," said
"The CPS encourages the federal and provincial governments to consider the costs of a public immunization program for all Canadian seniors compared to the high costs of treating this preventable cause of severe pain," said
"The Canadian Pain Society is the national voice on pain management and takes a leadership role in advocating for adequate research, education and treatment resources for patients with pain," said
The painful reality of shingles
Shingles results from the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus,(3) the same virus that causes chickenpox.(4) When people suffer from shingles, they may initially feel itching, tingling, burning or pain(5) in a defined section of their skin and within a few days a characteristic skin rash with fluid-filled blisters appears.
Pain occurs in 90 per cent of persons with shingles who are 60 years of age or older.(6) For most people, the pain associated with a shingles rash usually lessens as it heals. For some people, shingles can cause debilitating pain called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) that can last for months or even years.(7) For more than 50 per cent of shingles sufferers over 60, shingles can progress into PHN.(8)
In addition to severe pain, shingles can cause fatigue, disrupted sleep, social withdrawal and depression,(9) and 50 to 72 per cent of people with shingles of the eye suffer from recurrent ocular disease and vision loss.(10) Up to 10 per cent of shingles patients 65 and older are hospitalized(11) with an average length of stay of 20 days.(12) PHN - debilitating pain - is the most common serious complication of shingles.(13)
In
About the Canadian Pain Society
The Canadian Pain Society is a voluntary organization of approximately 850 members across
-------------------------- (1) Product Monograph for Health Canada dated August 11, 2009. Page 15. (2) IBID. Page 17. (3) Stankus SJ, Dlugopolski M and Packer D. Management of Herpes Zoster (Shingles) and Postherpetic Neuralgia. American Family Physician, April 15, 2000. (Web site accessed at: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000415/2437.html) (4) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. (Web site accessed at: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/dis-faqs.htm) (5) Oxman MN. Clinical manifestations of herpes zoster. In: Arvin AM, Gershon AA, editors. Varicella-zoster virus virology and clinical management. Cambridge Press 2000:246-75. (6) Oxman MN. Clinical manifestations of herpes zoster. In: Arvin AM, Gershon AA, eds. Varicella-Zoster Virus Virology and Clinical Management. 2000; Cambridge Press: pp.246-75. (7) Oxman MN. Clinical manifestations of herpes zoster. In: Arvin AM, Gershon AA, eds. Varicella-Zoster Virus Virology and Clinical Management. 2000; Cambridge Press: pp.246-75. (8) Oxman MN. Clinical manifestations of herpes zoster. In: Arvin AM, Gershon AA, editors. Varicella-zoster virus virology and clinical management. Cambridge Press 2000:246-75. (9) Schmader K. Postherpetic neuralgia in immunocompetent elderly people. Vaccine 1998;16:1768-70. (10) Pavan-Langston D. Ophthalmic zoster. In: Arvin AM, Gershon AA, editors. Varicella-zoster virus virology and clinical management. Cambridge Press 2000:276-98. (11) Product Monograph for Health Canada dated August 11, 2009. Page 10. (12) Weir, E. Vaccination boosts adult immunity to varicella zoster virus. CMAJ, August 2, 2005; 173(3). (Web site accessed at: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/173/3/249?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=shingles+vaccine&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT ) (13) Product Monograph for Health Canada dated August 11, 2009. Page 10. (14) Brisson M et al. Epidemiology of varicella zoster virus infection in Canada and the United Kingdom. Epidemiol Infect 2001;127:305-14. (15) Gnann JW Jr. et al. Herpes zoster. N Engl J Med 2002;347:340-6. (16) Straus SE, Oxman MN. Varicella and herpes zoster. In: Freedberg IM, Eisen AZ, Wolff K et al, editors. Fitzpatrick's dermatology in general medicine. 5th ed. Vol 2. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill 1999;2427-50. (17) Katz J, et al. Acute pain in herpes zoster and its impact on health- related quality of life. Clin Infect Dis 2004;39:342-8.
For further information: or to speak with a cps spokesperson: Montreal: Stephanie Lyttle, NATIONAL Public Relations, (514) 843-2365, [email protected]; Toronto: Lynn Bessoudo, NATIONAL Public Relations, (416) 848-1426, [email protected]; Vancouver: Kate Best, NATIONAL Public Relations, (604) 691-7386, [email protected]
Share this article