Vaccines Against Shingles, Pneumonia May Also Lower Your Alzheimer's Risk

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 21, 2023
• Full Page

Certain adult vaccines, including shingles and pneumonia shots, may also help seniors fight off Alzheimer's disease, new research reveals.

Prior vaccination with the shingles vaccine, pneumococcus vaccine or the tetanus and diphtheria shot, with or without an added ...

Shingles Ups Odds of Stroke, Heart Attack By Almost 30%

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• December 5, 2022
• Full Page

People who've had a bout of shingles may face a heightened risk of heart attack or stroke in later years, a new, large study suggests.

Anyone who ever had chickenpox can develop shingles — a painful rash that is caused by a reactivation of the virus that causes ch...

No Sign of Human Herpesvirus in African Gorillas

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 26, 2022
• Full Page

Despite the presence of gorilla trekkers in their habitat, endangered gorillas in the region surrounding East Africa's Virunga Volcanoes do not have human herpesvirus, researchers say.

The Gorilla Doctors team was able to assess the region's mountain gorillas in a noninv...

Justin Bieber Takes Break From Touring Due to Health Issues

• By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 7, 2022
• Full Page

Singer Justin Bieber said Tuesday that he will take a break from touring while he takes care of his health.

Bieber has a condition known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which...

Shingles Won't Raise Risk for Dementia: Study

• By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
• June 9, 2022
• Full Page

If you've survived a painful bout of shingles, at least you won't have to worry that it might raise your future risk of dementia, new research indicates.

Shingles, caused by the reactivation o...

Could COVID Infection After Age 50 Leave You Vulnerable to Shingles?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 11, 2022
• Full Page

Catching COVID-19 appears to increase an older person's risk of developing a case of shingles.

Researchers found that people 50 and older who had a COVID infection were 15% more likely to develop shingles, compared to people who were never infected. That risk climbed to ...

Are We Getting Closer to a Herpes Vaccine?

• Amy Norton
• November 16, 2020
• Full Page

Scientists are reporting early success with an experimental herpes vaccine that uses a genetically modified version of the virus.

The gene edit prevents the virus from performing its normal evasive maneuver: hiding out in nervous system cells in order to elude the i...

Scientists Use Gene Therapy to Tackle Oral Herpes in Mice

• Robert Preidt
• August 31, 2020
• Full Page

Gene therapy has nearly eliminated the oral herpes virus in lab animals, researchers report.

Using a gene editing technique, they achieved at least a 90% reduction in latent herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) in mice, which should be enough to prevent the infection f...

Shingles Vaccine Bonus: Reduced Risk of Stroke?

• Alan Mozes
• February 12, 2020
• Full Page

Seniors who get the shingles vaccine may gain stroke protection as well, a new study suggests.

Shingles is a viral infection tied to heightened risk of stroke. But overall stroke risk dropped 20% among patients under age 80 who got the shingles vaccine. In patien...

Adults Need Vaccines, Too

• Robert Preidt
• August 6, 2019
• Full Page

Vaccines aren't just for kids, a doctors' group says.

"Many adults are not aware that they need vaccines throughout their lives and so have not received recommended vaccinations," Dr. Robert McLean, president of the American College of Physicians, said in a college n...

Chickenpox Vaccine Shields Kids From Shingles, Too

• Serena Gordon
• June 10, 2019
• Full Page

Shingles isn't usually considered a kids' disease, but children can get this painful condition. Fortunately, the chickenpox vaccine can also protect them against it, a new study finds.

"The virus that causes chickenpox also causes shingles. It's pretty uncommon in kid...

Potentially Blinding Shingles of the Eye on the Rise

• Alan Mozes
• May 9, 2019
• Full Page

The virus that gave you chickenpox as a kid can rise again after decades of inactivity and inflict a painful, even blinding, eye infection in old age.

New research reveals that cases of eye-based "shingles" have tripled since 2004.

Exactly what is driving t...

Gum Disease Shows Possible Links to Alzheimer's

• Dennis Thompson
• April 8, 2019
• Full Page

Regular brushing and flossing can save your teeth into old age.

Could it also save your brain?

The bacteria involved in gum disease might play a key role in the development of Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.

DNA from the bacterium Porphyr...