The Looming Rash of Herpes Zoster and the Challenge of Adult Immunization

摘要

Herpes zoster is getting a lot of attention these days: A Google search on this topic will generate more than 1.3 million hits. There is good reason for this interest. At some point during their life, approximately 30% of people will develop herpes zoster, more commonly known as “shingles” (1). In raw numbers, approximately 1 million people in the United States are affected with herpes zoster every year (2). That number can be expected to increase because the risk for herpes zoster increases as cell-mediated immunity declines with advancing age, and an ever-increasing number of baby boomers are entering the retirement years; 20% of the population will be at least 65 years of age by 2030, compared with only 12.8% in 2008 (3).