I. Introduction
Shingles (Herpes Zoster) is a painful virus caused by the varicella-zoster virus which also causes chickenpox. It will appear as a rash on the skin but really is a cluster of blisters (“Shingles,” 1998). Shingles has affected the world dramatically ever since the discovery by William Herberden of how to determine the differences between shingles and smallpox in the 1700’s. The severity of this extremely painful virus wasn’t brought to anyone’s attention until the 1940’s and 1950’s (“Shingles symptoms guide,” 2009).
II. Discovery
The shingles virus has been around since the era of smallpox, but it was very difficult to determine the difference between the two. William Herberden found a way to identify the two illnesses separately in the 1700’s. Shingles was not thought of as a very serious condition until severe cases occurred in the 40’s and 50’s. It is believed that at least once in a person’s lifetime, they will contact the shingles virus and may possibly have the chance to develop it later on in their lives (“Shingles symptoms guide,” 2009).
The herpes zoster virus stems from the chickenpox virus, varicella-zoster (“Shingles,” 1998). The tricky part about this virus is the possibility of misdiagnosis because of the general symptoms like headache, fever, and body aches and pains. If you do not catch this virus early, it can get out of hand easily and quickly. The rash will start to emerge on the skin and may even become painful to the touch. Some symptoms more advanced into the illness are tingling, aching, and sharp shooting pains. This virus generally will occur around your torso and can spread to any other part of the body. It is very serious when the shingles virus appears around or on the eyes or ears. Keratitis, optic nerve palsies, ocular inflammation, pain, and loss of vision are possible results of the virus spreading to the eye. If it is spread to the ear, hearing loss and vertigo are possible symptoms. This shingles virus is contagious, but if you have contacted the virus as a child, you cannot get the shingles virus as an adult. If you are contacted by shingles and have not had the chickenpox, then you will get the chickenpox virus rather than the shingles virus (“Shingles symptoms guide,” 2009). If you have had chickenpox, have been contacted by the virus, or have had the vaccination, there is a possibility that you can have the virus is inactive in your nervous system near your spine and brain. It can be 10 years until the virus becomes active again or for the first time (“Shingles,” 1998).
III. Treatment
As stated before, the shingles virus is a very painful virus. People are at the highest risk of this virus if they have had chickenpox, are experiencing emotional stress, have a weakened immune system, or people over the age of sixty. Just to clear things up, this is a herpes virus, but not the same as the sexually transmitted diseases. This virus is contagious to only to the people that have not had the chickenpox yet and have contacted the shingles virus. For example, when I had shingles, my friend, Katerina, touched one of my open blisters with a cut on her hand. If she has never had the chicken pox virus, then she will develop it or shingles instead (“Shingles symptoms guide,” 2009).
The treatment of this virus takes up to four weeks and may be even longer if not treated early with medications from a doctor. Antivirus medications will heal the virus and can either be applied topically or taken in pill form. In extreme cases, steroids may be suggested. Any over the counter medications are helpful in reducing pain. In rare cases, like having shingles on your face, it is needed to be taken care of as soon as possible to prevent further serious complications (“Shingles symptoms guide,” 2009).
There is a vaccine available for people that have had the virus and are over the age of sixty. This type of treatment should not be used with people that have a weakened immune system or is undergoing cancer radiation. This can be dangerous because the vaccine contains the live virus and may be harmful to the person (“Shingles symptoms guide,” 2009).
IV. Impact on the World/Humanity
Shingles have impacted our world dramatically. It wasn’t realized how serious the virus really was until the 1940’s and 1950’s. 2 Each year, roughly 1 million Americans are treated for shingles or complication of it. 2.1 million people in America go to the doctor for treatment of shingles of its complications. The average cost per year for the treatment of shingles is around $566 million and it is $525 person (“U.s. shingles statistics”, 2008).
V. Journal Article Review
The entire DNA sequence of shingles was found by using the technology of M13-dideoxynucleotide. The genome, which is the full set of chromosomes, is changing in size. The sequence was acquired comprises 124884 bp. The genome contains 70 genes which are evenly spread out through two strands of DNA. The genes are condensed, but the protein-coding regions that overlap are not thorough. The majority of the genes are sorted in 3’coterminal families (Virol, 1986).
List of References:
• Shingles. (1998). Retrieved on October 2, 2010 from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/shingles/DS00098
• Shingles symptoms guide. (2009). Retrieved on October 2, 2010 from http://shinglessymptomsguide.com/
• U.s. shingles statistics. (2008). Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from http://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/01/16/34393.aspx
• Virol, J. (1986). The complete dna sequence of varicella-zoster virus. Retrieved on October 9, 2010 from http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/67/9/1759
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