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Primary Care Network designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Target Audience:
This activity is targeted to all physicians and other healthcare professionals who treat patients with herpes zoster.
Original Release date: February 15, 2007
Rereleased: February 14, 2008
Expiration date: February 14, 2009
Acknowledgement of Commercial Support:
This activity is funded by Primary Care Network.
Post-test and Evaluation
In order to receive CME credit, you will need to complete the post-test. Upon successful completion of the post-test, you will be asked to fill out a program evaluation form and prompted to print your CME certificate.
Faculty Biographies & Disclosures
Richard D. Clover, MD, FAAFP - speaker
Lawrence D. Gelb, MD - speaker
Program Overview:
Herpes zoster (shingles), a clinical manifestation of reactivated varicella-zoster virus (VZV), affects
approximately 1 million people in the United States each year. As a result of an age-associated decline in
VZV-specific cellular immunity, the incidence of herpes zoster increases with advancing age.
Acute herpes zoster manifests as a painful, dermatomal rash, which typically resolves within one month.
However, following rash resolution, 10% to 20% of patients develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a
chronic, neuropathic pain syndrome that can adversely impact quality of life. Although antiviral therapy
may reduce the incidence and severity of acute herpes zoster, it does not prevent the development of
PHN. Furthermore, agents used to treat PHN have limited efficacy and are often associated with poor
tolerability. A zoster vaccine in late-stage clinical development has been shown to significantly reduce the
incidence and severity of both herpes zoster and PHN, offering the promise of reducing the public health
burden of herpes zoster and its associated complications.
Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, the participant will be able to:
- Discuss the natural history and public health burden of herpes zoster and recognize the relationship
between natural aging, cellular immunosuppression, and the incidence of herpes zoster
- Evaluate the efficacy and limitations of current treatment options for herpes zoster and postherpetic
neuralgia and describe the benefits of a zoster vaccine in reducing the incidence and burden of
illness for populations at risk
When finished, click here to take the Post-test
Take the post-test to receive your CME certificate
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