Immediate Care centers, also known as urgent care facilities, provide an alternative to emergency room service that is useful in many cases. They help patients who need quick attention but aren’t suffering from a life-threatening injury or illness. For example, doctors commonly advise people who have developed a case of shingles to seek immediate care if they cannot get a quick appointment with their primary care physician. Since shingles are so painful, people typically seek fast help even if they have not been instructed to.
Shingles can develop in individuals who have had chickenpox since the varicella-zoster virus never leaves the body. It only becomes dormant. The disorder causes a rash with inflammation and small blisters, and usually, significant pain. The rash develops on the skin along nerve lines since the condition is an infection of the nerves as well as of the skin.
A shingles vaccination is available, but it usually is only administered to people aged 50 and older. The Centers for Disease Control recommends it for individuals age 60 and older since the disorder is much more prevalent among senior citizens and they are more susceptible to serious complications. People in this age group are advised to get the vaccine even if they aren’t sure they ever had chickenpox. Unfortunately, the vaccine is only effective for about half the people who receive it.
Although shingles are known for causing intense pain, this doesn’t happen to everyone. It’s even possible for someone to develop the disorder and think it’s just an annoying rash. However, for individuals who develop shingles and are suffering from discomfort, Immediate Care in Jacksonville FL helps them find some relief with prescription medication. Antiviral medication treats the condition and begins minimizing the rash. Going to an urgent care facility like Avecina Medical even before the rash develops is advisable if a person has started experiencing initial symptoms such as pain and itching along some nerve lines. Taking prescription antiviral medication may reduce the severity of the disease. If the rash appears on the face, it is tremendously important to seek immediate medical care, so it does not affect the eyes. Visit us at avecina.com to learn more.
