Take your health into your own hands

Take your health into your own hands

Take your health into your own hands

Shingles: find out more about it

The St. Anthony’s Fire, also called St. Anthony’s rash or Herpes zoster according to scientific nomenclature, is a viral disease that affects individuals who have contracted chickenpox in the past, as it represents a reactivation of the virus that is generally not completely eliminated from the body, but remains dormant in certain parts of the nervous system. This virus owes its particular name to the ancient tradition, which originated in the Middle Ages but was especially present in the modern age, of invoking St. Anthony the Abbot to ask for healing from illness. Shingles can also affect young people, but it occurs more frequently from age 40 and up.

Symptomatology and contagion

The specific cause that triggers shingles is not yet known: the immune system should suppress the reactivation of the latent virus, however in many cases this does not happen, especially in people with weak immune systems, due to old age, psychological stress and other risk factors. Shingles infection can only occur through direct contact and not through the air, but what is actually transmitted is the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which precisely triggers chickenpox in individuals who have never had it. The first symptoms of the virus, such as headache and fever, are very general and therefore can be mistaken for a simple flu. Specific symptoms of shingles such as burning, tingling, itching, and severe pain appear later, especially for people of advanced age, and after a few days a reddening of the skin(skin rash) followed by the appearance of blisters. Depending on the area affected by the virus, there may be additional complications: in the case where it affects the eye area, it is called ophthalmic herpes, while if it affects the ear area, one can contract Ramsay Hunt Syndrome type II.

Treatments and vaccination

The
vaccine
against chickenpox, which has become mandatory in Italy, obviously also helps to ward off the risk of shingles; however, according to some studies, since an adult in contact with a child who has contracted chickenpox develops immunity for shingles, the spread of the vaccine helps in a sense to spread the latent virus. There is also a specific vaccine for shingles (Zostavax), aimed at adults who have contracted chickenpox in the past, which according to some U.S. studies reduces the risk of being affected by the virus by 50-70%. For those who have already contracted the virus, however, treatment with prescription antivirals can help reduce the duration and intensity of symptoms until complete regression of the infection, which generally occurs after 2-4 weeks.

New flu season kicks off: recommendations for preventing it

Once again this year, with the first case found in Parma in a 6-year-old girl in late September, the flu season has officially begun. Although it will take a while to get into full swing, aided by the still mild temperatures that do not allow viruses to multiply and spread efficiently, one should not feel too safe. In a few weeks, the situation will be quite different, and the likelihood of finding oneself in bed with a high fever, cold, cough, general malaise, and bone pain will be decidedly high for everyone.
Experts predict that about 6 million Italians will fall ill and that the viruses circulating will be particularly aggressive. To avoid the discomforts and risks of complications associated with the most classic and frequent of winter ailments, the Ministry of Health and all health institutions at the international level recommend, as they do every year, taking the seasonal flu vaccine, which is effective and safe at all ages (starting from the 6th month of life) and in any category of people, including the period of pregnancy and lactation (unless specific individual contraindications are extremely rare).
Vaccination is especially important for the elderly (over65 years old), people with chronic respiratory (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-BPCO, cystic fibrosis, etc.), cardiovascular (heart failure, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, etc.), metabolic (diabetes, etc.), blood (coagulation disorders, anemia, etc.), or immune system (congenital or acquired immunodeficiency) diseases.) or the immune system (congenital or acquired immunodeficiency), as well as cancers, chronic inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, etc.) and/or malabsorption, renal or hepatic failure, and other conditions that increase the risk of severe complications (pneumonia, respiratory and cardiometabolic decompensation, encephalitis, etc.) and influenza mortality.
In all these cases, as well as in pregnancy, those in occupations in contact with the public, at high risk of virus transmission, and/or of public utility (health care personnel, veterinarians, animal keepers, law enforcement, etc.) and blood donors, the flu vaccine is offered free of charge by the National Health Service (NHS). The rest of the population will have to pay for it out of their own pockets, but at a cost of a few euros, certainly less than the cost of the drugs that would be needed to keep flu symptoms under control.
The preparations available today for influenza vaccination are numerous, have different characteristics, and can be tri-valent (i.e., able to protect against three types of viruses) or quadri-valent (i.e., able to protect against four types of viruses). Those trivalents indicated for the 2019-20 season, based on the types of viruses expected to have the greatest prevalence in the coming months, contain the following antigens: A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09; A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2); a B/Colorado/06/2017 (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage). In addition, the quadrivalent vaccines available in Italy contain B/Phuket/3073/2013-like (B/Yamagata lineage) as the fourth antigen.
The vaccine to be taken should always be agreed upon with the family doctor or, in the case of children, with the Freely chosen Pediatrician, who will also take charge of its administration through a harmless subcutaneous injection in the upper arm or, for younger children, in the thigh (alternatively, one can contact the nearest Vaccination Center). In order not to be blindsided by the viruses before you have developed sufficient immune protection (it takes about 15 days after the vaccine is administered), it is recommended to get vaccinated between late October and early November or, at any rate, by mid-December (also in view of the fact that Christmas celebrations are at very high risk of infection). However, if you have not been sick before, you can take the vaccine even in early January.
In addition to the seasonal vaccine, to reduce the risk of contracting the flu and other seasonal illnesses carried by viruses and bacteria, it is important to adhere to well-known and proven rules of hygiene and practical prevention. That is: wash hands often, with soap and water or disinfectant preparations; avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes with hands that are not perfectly clean; limit spending time in crowded enclosed places (public transportation and offices, cinemas, theaters, stores, gyms, etc.); avoid being near people with suspected respiratory symptoms or who are already ill; support the body’s defenses through healthy diet (including fresh foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants), good hydration (1.5-2 liters of fluids per day), sufficient sleep, moderate physical activity, avoiding smoking and stress; ventilate the rooms in which you stay often, especially if there are family members or co-workers with cold symptoms.
Sources: EpiCentro-Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS)(www.epicentro.iss.it/influenza/Raccomandazioni-Ministero); Ministry of Health – Influenza portal(www.salute.gov.it/portale/influenza/homeInfluenza.jsp)
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NUTRITION AND DIET
 
NATURE, SPORTS, PLACES
 
CULTIVATING HEALTH
 
MENOPAUSE
 
MOM IN SHAPE
 
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
 
HEART SURGERY
 
MEDICINES AND MEDICAL DEVICES
 
PARENTING
 
THE CULTURE OF HEALTH
 
HEALTH UTILITIES
 
GENERAL MEDICINE
 
NATURAL MEDICINE, THERMAL
 
MIND AND BRAIN
 
NEUROVEGETATIVE DYSTONIA
 
WAYS OF BEING
 
HEALTH AND SOCIETY
 
HEALTHCARE AND PATIENTS
 
SEXUALITY
 
OLDER AGE
 
CANCERS
 
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UROGENITAL SYSTEM
 
HEART AND CIRCULATION
 
SKIN
 
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
 
EYES
 
EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT
 
BONES AND LIGAMENTS
 
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
 
NERVOUS SYSTEM
 

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