To promote Shingles Awareness Week, which ran from Feb 27 to March 5, a forum was held by Health News in Beijing. Doctors and experts shared how to prevent the infectious disease frequently occurring in people above 50.

As the immune system function decreases with one's increase of age, the incidence rate of shingles shows a rising trend. Data shows that there are about 1.56 million new shingles patients who are aged above 50 years old in China every year.

"People of any age may be infected with shingles. The vulnerable group is those who are above 50, especially those who have basic chronic diseases. People with low immune systems should also pay attention for shingles," said professor Du Xueping from Yuetan Community Health Service Center in Beijing.

She suggested that those who have chronic diseases should consult their family doctor about their risk of being infected with shingles. They should have a healthy lifestyle focusing on diet, exercise, adequate sleep and also make sure they get vaccinated in advance. If they have shingles, they should consult their family doctor as soon as possible to get treatment.

Cui Yong, deputy director of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said that shingles is one of the most painful skin diseases. He noticed that after the recent Spring Festival, there was an increase of shingles patients going to the dermatological department. It's probably related to factors such as fast-paced work and low immune systems related to travel.

Wu Hao, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, said that it's important to strengthen the construction of the general practice medical team and the management of chronic diseases in community health hospitals, to better manage the health of the middle-aged and elderly.