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Can The Shingles Vaccine Protect Against Cold Sores?
Shingles and cold sores result from different types of herpes viruses. So, while the shingles vaccine is very effective at preventing shingles, it doesn't prevent cold sores.
Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a painful rash that usually develops on one side of your body when a dormant virus reactivates inside your body. Specifically, it's the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) — the same virus that causes chickenpox.
Most cases of shingles last 3–5 weeks, but pain can linger even after the rash or blisters clear up.
However, you can reduce your risk of shingles with a vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults 50 and older and people with a weakened immune system get two doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine, Shingrix.
Some people have wondered whether the shingles vaccine can also prevent another type of infection caused by a different type of herpes virus: cold sores.
There's some anecdotal evidence that the shingles vaccine may also help protect against cold sores. However, these claims aren't backed up by research or clinical trials.
Cold sores are small, fluid-filled blisters around the mouth that form due to infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two main types of HSV: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Both can cause oral and genital herpes, although HSV-1 more commonly causes oral herpes.
The shingle vaccine protects against reactivation of VZV. It's not intended to protect against HSV.
No current vaccine can prevent HSV infections.
It's understandable that some people think that cold sores and shingles are related. Shingles is also known as herpes zoster, and people may get that confused with herpes simplex, which causes cold sores.
But shingles and cold sores are distinct conditions caused by different viruses — VZV and HSV, respectively. These two viruses do, however, belong to the same group of viruses called herpes viruses. VZV is sometimes known as human herpesvirus 3.
Like HSV, VZV can lie dormant in your body and reactivate. Reactivation of HSV can cause cold sores, while reactivation of VZV causes shingles. The same antiviral medications treat both infections.
Recent research suggests there may be closer ties between the two viruses. A 2024 study found that prior HSV infections may help protect against shingles. However, more research is needed.
Learn more about the difference between shingles and herpes.
Because no vaccine currently exists to prevent cold sores, the best method of prevention is avoiding close, skin-to-skin contact like kissing with anyone who has HSV. Even if they don't have a visible outbreak, the virus can still spread. That is, even when cold sores can't be seen yet, they can still be contagious.
Also, if you know that you already have an HSV infection, you can take steps to prevent reactivation of the virus. For example, it can help to avoid things that tend to trigger outbreaks, such as stress, exposure to sunlight, and anything that dampens or suppresses your immune system.
Cold sore outbreaks typically resolve within 1–2 weeks. An antiviral ointment such as penciclovir (Denavir) can help reduce the pain and help with healing.
You might also get some symptom relief by using an over-the-counter topical anesthetic treatment such as docosanol (Abreva) or applying cold compresses. If you have a severe case, a doctor may prescribe an oral antiviral medication.
There's no cure for cold sores. Once you contract HSV, it remains in your system. It may stay dormant for long periods. However, if the virus reactivates, you will develop new cold sores.
Here are some frequently asked questions that people often have:
Does the shingles vaccine protect against anything else?The shingles vaccine effectively protects against shingles and complications such as postherpetic neuralgia. Experts recommend it for adults who've had chickenpox or shingles in the past, as well as adults who've had the chickenpox vaccine and adults who don't remember if they ever had chickenpox.
Some researchers are proposing that the herpes zoster vaccine might also protect against dementia. But more research is needed.
Does the HPV vaccine prevent cold sores?Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a very common infection. The CDC estimates that about 42 million Americans have an infection with a type of HPV that can cause disease, such as cancer of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus, and back of the throat.
As 85% of people will get an HPV infection at some point in their life, experts recommend vaccination against HPV, as it's very effective. However, the HPV vaccine does not prevent against herpes simplex infections. It also does not prevent other types of sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Is there a vaccine for cold sores?At present, no vaccine can prevent herpes simplex infections, though several are in development. Treatment can help manage the symptoms.
The virus that causes cold sores and the virus that causes shingles belong to the same group of viruses. However, the virus that causes shingles does not cause cold sores to develop. Nor does the shingles vaccine prevent an outbreak of cold sores.
Contact a healthcare professional if you develop a rash or blisters on your face or body. A doctor can evaluate you to decide what infection you may have and what treatment is most appropriate.
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More info 9 Product FeaturesAntibiotics Aren't Effective For Most Lower Tract Respiratory Infections
WASHINGTON – Use of antibiotics provided no measurable impact on the severity or duration of coughs even if a bacterial infection was present, finds a large, prospective study of people who sought treatment in U.S. Primary or urgent care settings for lower-respiratory tract infections.
The study by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center and colleagues appeared April 15, 2024, in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
"Upper respiratory tract infections usually include the common cold, sore throat, sinus infections and ear infections and have well established ways to determine if antibiotics should be given," says the study's lead author, Dan Merenstein, MD, professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine. "Lower respiratory tract infections tend to have the potential to be more dangerous, since about 3% to 5% of these patients have pneumonia. But not everyone has easy access at an initial visit to an X-ray, which may be the reason clinicians still give antibiotics without any other evidence of a bacterial infection. Plus, patients have come to expect antibiotics for a cough, even if it doesn't help. Basic symptom-relieving medications plus time brings a resolution to most people's infections."
The antibiotics prescribed in this study for lower tract infections were all appropriate, commonly used antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. But the researchers' analysis showed that of the 29% of people given an antibiotic during their initial medical visit, there was no effect on the duration or overall severity of cough compared to those who didn't receive an antibiotic.
"Physicians know, but probably overestimate, the percentage of lower tract infections that are bacterial; they also likely overestimate their ability to distinguish viral from bacterial infections," says Mark H. Ebell, MD, MS, a study author and professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia. "In our analysis, 29% of people were prescribed an antibiotic while only 7% were given an antiviral. But most patients do not need antivirals as there exist only two respiratory viruses where we have medications to treat them: influenza and SARS-COV-2. There are none for all of the other viruses."
To determine if there was an actual bacterial or viral infection present, beyond the self-reported symptoms of a cough, the investigators confirmed the presence of pathogens with advanced lab tests to look for microbiologic results classified as only bacteria, only viruses, both virus and bacteria, or no organism detected. Very importantly, for those with a confirmed bacterial infection, the length of time until illness resolution was the same for those receiving an antibiotic versus those not receiving one – about 17 days.
Overuse of antibiotics can result in dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, and rash along with about a 4% chance of serious adverse effects including anaphylaxis, which is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction; Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare, serious disorder of the skin and mucous membranes; and Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhea. Another significant concern of the overuse of antibiotics is resistance. The World Health Organization released a statement on April 4, 2024, stating: "Uncontrolled antimicrobial resistance [due to the overuse of antibiotics] is expected to lower life expectancy and lead to unprecedented health expenditure and economic losses."
"We know that cough can be an indicator of a serious problem. It is the most common illness-related reason for an ambulatory care visit, accounting for nearly 3 million outpatient visits and more than 4 million emergency department visits annually," says Merenstein. "Serious cough symptoms and how to treat them properly needs to be studied more, perhaps in a randomized clinical trial as this study was observational and there haven't been any randomized trials looking at this issue since about 2012."
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In addition to Merenstein and Ebell, the other co-author is Bruce Barrett MD, PhD at the University of Wisconsin, Madison,
This work was supported by an AHRQ grant R01HS025584.
The researchers report having no personal financial interests related to the study.
About Georgetown University Medical Center
As a top academic health and science center, Georgetown University Medical Center provides, in a synergistic fashion, excellence in education — training physicians, nurses, health administrators and other health professionals, as well as biomedical scientists — and cutting-edge interdisciplinary research collaboration, enhancing our basic science and translational biomedical research capacity in order to improve human health. Patient care, clinical research and education is conducted with our academic health system partner, MedStar Health. GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on social justice and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." GUMC comprises the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, School of Health, Biomedical Graduate Education, and Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a doctoral university with "very high research activity," Georgetown is home to a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health, and a Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. Connect with GUMC on Facebook (Facebook.Com/GUMCUpdate) and on Twitter (@gumedcenter).
JournalJournal of General Internal Medicine
Method of ResearchObservational study
Subject of ResearchPeople
Article TitleAntibiotics not associated with shorter duration or reduced severity of acute lower respiratory tract infection
COI StatementThe researchers report having no personal financial interests related to the study.
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