Herpes zoster: treatment, management, and prevention with the recombinant DNA vaccine

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a reactivation of dormant varicella-zoster virus that most often erupts as painful vesicles in a unilateral dermatomal distribution. A sequela of HZ is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is debilitating and may be persistent. Therefore, vaccination for the prevention of HZ and its sequelae is recommended for adults aged 50 years and older as well as immunocompromised adults. In 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a recombinant DNA vaccine (Shingrix) that is safe to use in immunocompromised individuals and an improvement on the live-attenuated vaccine approved in 2006. This report discusses HZ, PHN, treatment of HZ and PHN, and prevention with vaccines.