Shingles News and Research

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Shingles (herpes zoster) is an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox — the varicella-zoster virus. The first sign of shingles is often burning or tingling pain, or sometimes numbness or itch, in one particular location on only one side of the body.

The path to a better tuberculosis vaccine runs through Montana

A team of Montana researchers is playing a key role in the development of a more effective vaccine against tuberculosis, an infectious disease that has killed more people than any other.

18 Apr 2024

Researchers receive £2.4 million to generate evidence on the new NHS Pharmacy First service

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have been awarded £2.4m by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to generate evidence on the new National Health Service (NHS) Pharmacy First service.

6 Feb 2024

New study opens unprecedented opportunities for bioengineering vaccine adjuvants

A valuable molecule sourced from the soapbark tree and used as a key ingredient in vaccines, has been replicated in an alternative plant host for the first time, opening unprecedented opportunities for the vaccine industry.

26 Jan 2024

Herpes zoster vaccination and healthy aging: Study connect the dots

Vaccination with recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) prevents Herpes Zoster (HZ) infection.

30 Nov 2023

GOP presidential hopefuls use Trump’s covid record to court vaccine skeptics

Former President Donald Trump often seems proud to advertise his administration's record on speedily developing covid-19 vaccines.

29 Nov 2023

Live shingles vaccine highly effective in the first year after vaccination and then wanes substantially

The effectiveness of live zoster (shingles) vaccine is highest in the first year after vaccination and then wanes substantially.

8 Nov 2023

Pharmacists can play key role in boosting HPV vaccination rates

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is also the leading cause of cervical cancer.

3 Oct 2023

Prior vaccinations may help protect against Alzheimer's disease

Prior vaccination against tetanus and diphtheria, with or without pertussis (Tdap/Td); herpes zoster (HZ), better known as shingles; and pneumococcus are all associated with a reduced risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, according to new research from UTHealth Houston.

16 Aug 2023

Global efforts to reduce infectious diseases must include older children and adolescents

Global efforts to reduce infectious disease rates must have a greater focus on older children and adolescents after a shift in disease burden onto this demographic, according to a new study.

4 Jul 2023

Space travel weakens immune system by altering gene expression in white blood cells

Evidence is mounting that astronauts are more susceptible to infections while in space. For example, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) commonly suffer from skin rashes, as well as respiratory and non-respiratory diseases.

24 Jun 2023

Common infections in mid- and late-life can worsen cognitive performance

A new study from a team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that signs of common infections in a sample of middle-aged and older adults were associated with poorer performance on a test of global cognitive function.

20 Apr 2023

Study finds recent shingles infection increases the risk of myocardial infarction

Researchers assessed myocardial infarction (MI) risk after zoster infection.

30 Mar 2023

New research may explain why some patients suffer from long-COVID

A review article published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation deciphers the relationship between rare inborn errors of type I interferon immunity and the development of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia.

6 Feb 2023

A technicality could keep RSV shots from kids in need

After more than five decades of trying, the drug industry is on the verge of providing effective immunizations against the respiratory syncytial virus, which has put an estimated 90,000 U.S. infants and small children in the hospital since the start of October.

6 Feb 2023

Epidemiological evidence that Alzheimer's and Parkinson's could be caused by viral infections

A recent study published in the journal Neuron has focussed on assessing the putative associations between viral exposures and neurodegenerative disease (NDD) onset, using real-world biobank scale data.

23 Jan 2023

The disability tax: Medical bills remain inaccessible for many blind Americans

A Missouri man who is deaf and blind said a medical bill he didn't know existed was sent to debt collections, triggering an 11% rise in his home insurance premiums.

2 Dec 2022

Could mRNA vaccines triumph over other viral infections in humans and domestic animals?

Researchers review potential areas for mRNA vaccine development against pathogenic viruses other than SARS-CoV-2.

28 Nov 2022

Shingles linked with higher long-term risk of major cardiovascular event

A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, demonstrated that shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is associated with an almost 30% higher long-term risk of a major cardiovascular event such a stroke or heart attack.

22 Nov 2022

UQ spin-off company to develop precision painkillers for treating debilitating conditions

Precision painkillers that are more accurate and less harmful to the liver are set to be developed by a University of Queensland spin-off company -; potentially changing the lives of millions of people.

3 Nov 2022

CU Anschutz study details the mechanisms behind the link between shingles and strokes

Scientists investigating why people who have had shingles are at a higher risk of stroke, now believe the answer lies within lipid vesicles called exosomes that shuttle proteins and genetic information between cells, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

28 Oct 2022