r/science • u/Hrmbee • 9d ago

Medicine Study finds strongest evidence yet that shingles vaccine helps cut dementia risk | A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/02/study-finds-strongest-evidence-yet-that-shingles-vaccine-helps-cut-dementia-risk
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u/JHMfield 9d ago

Nice. Too bad the shingles vaccine is notoriously difficult to get in many regions of the world. There's a whole bunch of different age requirements. In some places you can get it pretty much whenever, in others you'd have to be like 50 or even 60 years old or something.

Anyway, the vaccine should be high priority for everyone, regardless. As someone who's had shingles, it's one messed up ailment, and with so much volatility too. You might get lucky and "just" experience a bunch of pain. Or you might get unlucky and go blind. Fun.

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u/Talentagentfriend 9d ago

The worst part about shingles is that it stays dormant and even after you’ve had it, it can come back. 

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u/JHMfield 9d ago edited 9d ago

Yeah. That's true for all herpes virus types. They all remain in the body and can flair up at any time without warning. With Shingles, it's important to remember that it's not the initial disease itself, it's a follow-up disease from Chickenpox. The first time you get the virus you develop Chickenpox and the remnants of that is what remains in your system and can flair up as Shingles.

That's why these days I keep a pack of anti-virals in my medicine cabinet. Once I feel a cold sore coming up on my lip, I pop some pills, use a topical ointment and usually get off with a slightly reddish blemish for a few days, instead of a painful, crusty sore.

Honestly, should probably pop those pills for any cold as well. Any respiratory infection could be viral, so it probably can't hurt to get some anti-virals going in the first 24 hours to take the edge off.

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u/OK4u2Bu1999 9d ago

FYI—antivirals are very specific to the virus you are trying to “kill” unlike antibiotics that can be broad spectrum—they could kill many types of bacteria. So, your particular antiviral only works against herpes viruses, not any cold viruses. You’d just be wasting it.

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u/JHMfield 9d ago

Ahh, good to know.

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u/Protean_Protein 8d ago

Maybe he’s getting herpes colds.

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u/OK4u2Bu1999 8d ago

Herpes only infects the nerve endings via the skin and won’t give you cold symptoms. Viruses are weird little packets of genetic code and have to enter another living cell to insert its packet and take over the cell and make it make copies of the virus. Each virus specifically fits into only certain types of cells with a particular “lock” or receptor on the outside that the virus can bind to and “unlock”. The entire respiratory track has certain receptors that aren’t on skin or nerves which many cold viruses attach to. They are usually fairly specific to different animals but lots of overlap, especially animals like pigs.

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u/Protean_Protein 8d ago

I was joking

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u/Lonely-Science-9762 9d ago

How do you have a stock of antivirals? Your doctor just prescribes them to you on a regular basis?

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u/JHMfield 9d ago

There are some OTC options available, at least where I live.

Aciclovirum tablets and ointments by Sandoz.

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u/NashvilleHot 3d ago

What country are you in that you can get acyclovir OTC?

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u/Last-Initial3927 9d ago

One size fits all antivirals seems sus. You got a billion dollar R&D lab in your basement busting through an as yet unknown to science common exploitable target? 

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u/The_Band_Geek 8d ago

My mom just takes vitamin E when she feels one coming on. She also pokes one with a needle and rubs the liquid on the sore, and she can usually knock it out before it ever gets bad.