【全非资讯·南非】 南非：如果接种 Shingles 疫苗还能保护

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#南非 #南部非洲 #非洲

一种能够预防老年人最痛苦疾病之一的疫苗，是否也能帮助保持大脑健康？南非终于推出了新型带状疱疹疫苗Shingrix，研究表明该疫苗或许也能降低痴呆症风险。我们将剖析证据的真实含义，以及这笔高昂的费用是否物有所值。\n\n去年这个时候，Melanie Verwoerd感到了一种前所未有的剧痛。一条宽达20厘米、布满红肿水疱的带状皮疹从她的背部延伸到腋下，一直蔓延至腹部，导致这位前国会议员兼南非驻爱尔兰大使数月无法工作。她表示：我一生中做过很多手术，经历过很多疼痛，但从没有过那种体验。\n\n这种皮疹就是带状疱疹，由水痘（水痘-带状疱疹）病毒引起，大约三分之一的人一生中至少会经历一次。为了不惜一切代价阻止复发，Verwoerd向全科医生咨询了她听说过的新型带状疱疹疫苗Shingrix。除了预防该疾病外，这种疫苗还可能降低一个人患痴呆症的几率——痴呆症是一组会缓慢损害大脑、使人难以记忆和清晰思考的疾病。\n\n在WhatsApp和LinkedIn上关注我们，获取最新头条新闻。\n\n但当时它在南非尚未上市。\n\n根据制造商葛兰素史克（GSK）的数据，Shingrix终于在6月底登陆南非——比美国批准该疫苗晚了近十年——每针价格高达令人咋舌的2783兰特。而且你需要接种两剂，间隔两到六个月。\n\n对于一个对成人疫苗接种兴趣缺缺的国家来说，这是一个高昂的价格（只有大约三分之一的成年人注射流感疫苗，不到4%的人注射了该国先前可用的带状疱疹疫苗）。\n\n那么，老年时期保持敏捷思维的诱惑力，足以改变这种权衡吗？

中文导读

去年同期，Melanie Verwoerd (梅拉妮·弗沃德) 经历了一种前所未有的剧痛。一条20厘米宽、布满恼人水泡的带状区域，从她的背部一直延伸到腋下，再到腹部

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那么，晚年保持思维敏锐的诱惑，是否足以改变这种考量呢？

例如，其中包括正在接受化疗或自身免疫性疾病（如狼疮 (lupus) 或糖尿病 (diabetes)）治疗的人群，以及艾滋病病毒 (HIV) 感染者，他们患带状疱疹 (shingles) 的几率都更高。对于艾滋病病毒 (HIV) 阳性人群，即使是那些成功接受艾滋病病毒 (HIV) 治疗的患者，其患带状疱疹 (shingles) 的风险也比普通人群高出三到五倍。

然而，预防带状疱疹可能并非 Shingrix (欣安立适) 的唯一吸引力。自2024年7月有消息披露 Shingrix (欣安立适) 可能对预防痴呆症有效以来，便引发了激烈争论。在美国



原文原文 / Original Text

Could a vaccine that protects you against one of the most painful diseases of older age also help keep your brain healthy? South Africa has finally launched Shingrix, a new shingles vaccine that studies suggest may lower the risk of dementia too. We unpack what the evidence really shows — and whether the hefty price tag is worth it.

This time last year,  Melanie Verwoerd  felt a pain like nothing she'd experienced before. A 20-centimetre wide band of angry blisters, stretching across her back and under her arm all the way to her stomach, kept the former Member of Parliament and South African ambassador to Ireland out of action for months. "I've had many operations and a lot of pain in my life, but never something like that," she says.

The rash was  shingles  , a disease caused by the chickenpox (varicella-zoster) virus that  around a third of us  will experience at least once in our lifetime. Determined to stop a recurrence at any cost, Verwoerd asked her GP about Shingrix, a new shingles jab she'd heard about that besides preventing the condition might also  lower someone's chances of developing dementia  —  a group of conditions that slowly damage the brain, making it harder for a person to remember things, think clearly, c

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But it was not yet available in South Africa.

Shingrix  finally launched in the country  at the end of June — almost a decade after it was  approved in the United States (US)  — at the eye-watering price of R2 783 per injection, according to its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). And you need two shots, taken two to six months apart.

That's a steep price for a country with  little appetite for adult vaccination  (only about a third of adults take the flu shot and less than 4% took the previous shingles jab that was available in the country).

So will the lure of a sharper mind in old age be enough to change that calculus?

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来源：AllAfrica (https://allafrica.com/)
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