A new campaign to promote awareness of shingles has been launched this month.
The Shingles Awareness Week campaign shares first-hand experiences of how shingles interrupted people’s work, life or social commitments.
Former Olympic athlete, mum and now doctor, Jana Pittman, is the campaign ambassador
“The people most at risk of developing shingles are those over the age of 50, and those who are immunocompromised; however, the reality is that about one in three people will develop shingles in their lifetime,” said Dr Pittman. “I’ve seen first-hand how hard shingles can be, so it’s important to arm yourself with information, know what the signs and symptoms are, and go to see your GP early.”
The campaign also presents key findings from a GSK Australia commissioned survey taken by 300 Australians aged between 50 –79 to measure and understand perceptions about shingles in Australia.
73 per cent of participants perceived the impact of shingles as 'very serious', but only 11 per cent regarded themselves as being personally at risk of shingles in the next year.
Shingles is a painful and potentially debilitating condition triggered by the reactivation of the chicken pox virus, usually during adulthood. Those who have had chickenpox already carry the virus that causes shingles.
