Shingle eligibility extension over 18 immunosuppressed

People newly eligible for the shingles vaccination from Monday 1 September are those aged 18 to 49 who have a severely weakened immune system. Patients will be able to book an appointment for the vaccine with their GP surgery, we will be starting to contact people over the coming weeks.

This includes people with conditions such as leukaemia or lymphoma or those who are undergoing chemotherapy, which puts patients at greater risk of becoming seriously unwell if they contract shingles.

The NHS has previously expanded the shingles vaccination programme to include all over 50s with a severely weakened immune system.

Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (which causes chickenpox) and usually occurs decades after initial infection. The condition causes a painful rash and typically lasts between 2 and 4 weeks.

1 in 5 people will go on to develop shingles in their lifetime and although most people make a full recovery, it can cause serious problems including persistent pain known as post-herpetic neuralgia, eye problems, and even lead to pneumonia, hepatitis and inflammation of the brain.

Individuals who are severely immunosuppressed are most at risk of serious illness and complications from shingles.

The vaccine, Shingrix®, is currently available to people aged 65 to 79 and severely immunosuppressed individuals from 50 years of age, but eligibility is set to change from next week to include all severely immunosuppressed adults aged 18 years and over.

Invitations will be sent out in age order please book an appointment or contact the surgery to decline so we can remove you from further invitations.

Regards Dr G Lees and Partners