GPs at Harrow Health Care Centre are encouraging more people aged 50 and over to make use of the shingles vaccine as they enter an at-risk age group.
Shingles is the result of the re-activation within the body of the same virus that is responsible for chickenpox, which can remain dormant in individuals’ nervous systems all their lives, held in check by the body’s own defences.
However, as people grow older their risk of the chickenpox virus – varicella-zoster – returning as shingles increases, particularly in people who are stressed or have weakened immunity due to cancer treatment or HIV/AIDs.
Harrow Health Care Centre has said that due to the higher cost of the shingles vaccination the NHS has restricted the age group that it will treat, with most trusts staggering their provision to those over 70.
“In most cases, shingles will present with a rash that develops into itchy blisters and a patient might experience a fever, headache or a general feeling of being unwell,” explained Dr Jane Woyka.
“Shingles typically lasts one to two weeks and can be very painful. In some cases, it may also lead to a referral to hospital and can create complications, including making a person more at risk to meningitis or encephalitis, as well as issues with your vision in some rare cases. The post-shingles complication of persistent pain is also prevented”
To encourage more people over the age of 50 to seek private vaccination for shingles, Harrow Health Care Cent, which is located within The Clementine Churchill Hospital
in Sudbury Hill, is offering a 10 per cent discount to patients who are concerned that they may be at risk of shingles.
“By vaccinating against shingles, you significantly reduce your chance of suffering from it in later life and it helps to prevent the spread of chickenpox which can be particularly risky to women during pregnancy and those with weakened immune systems,” added Dr Woyka.
To find out more about Harrow Health Care Centre’s vaccination services, please call 020 8861 1221 or visit www.harrowhealthcare.co.uk
