TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan Municipal Annan Hospital reported Thursday that about 32.2% of individuals are likely to develop shingles at some point in their lives.
While shingles, or herpes zoster, can affect individuals of any age, it most commonly occurs in older adults and those with weakened immune systems, including cancer patients. The hospital noted that the risk increases with age and that vaccination remains the most effective means of prevention, according to CNA and National Taiwan University Hospital.
When shingles develops, pain or numbness typically occurs along the distribution of one or more sensory nerves. Within several days to three weeks, a red rash forms in the affected area, followed by the appearance of fluid-filled blisters.
Tu Yi-hsien (杜宜憲), a neurologist at the hospital, explained that shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus responsible for chickenpox. After the initial infection, the virus remains dormant in the nervous system and can reactivate later in life when the immune system weakens.
Shingles is known for causing intense pain. Even after the rash and blisters heal, some patients develop postherpetic neuralgia, a condition that involves persistent nerve pain lasting months or even years.
Tu said older adults are at higher risk. A family history of shingles or underlying conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or chronic kidney disease may further increase susceptibility.
In Taiwan, approximately new cases of shingles are reported each year. By age 85, about half of the population will have experienced at least one episode, according to Kuo General Hospital.
Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent shingles and its complications, Tu said. Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has approved two types of shingles vaccines, including a live virus vaccine, Zostavax, and a non-live recombinant vaccine, Shingrix.
Zostavax is recommended for adults aged 50-79 and is administered as a single dose, with protection lasting at least seven to 10 years. Shingrix is approved for adults aged 50 and older, as well as individuals aged above 18 who are at increased risk of shingles.
Emerging research suggests that shingles vaccination may also offer broader health benefits. A study published in April by a Stanford University team, which analyzed data from 280,000 older adults, found that those who received Zostavax had a 20% lower risk of developing dementia within seven years compared to those who were unvaccinated.
Another study by the University of Oxford, involving more than 200,000 individuals, found at least a 17% reduction in dementia diagnoses within six years of receiving Shingrix.
