Shingles | Shingrix Vaccination

Shingles is a reactivation of the Chickenpox virus. After a Chickenpox infection the virus remains dormant in nerve cells. The virus can remain dormant for decades, and can reactivate causing fluid filled blisters on the skin. You can't catch shingles, but you can cath Chickenpox from the the fluid in the shingles blisters if you haven't had Chickenpox already.

Although usually short lived, pain from Shingles can persist for a long time (particularly if an outbreak isn't treated within the first few days) as what is call Postherpetic Neuralgia. We can help with treatment if you have a Shingles outbreak.

Shingles Vaccination

The risk of a Shingles outbreak can be reduced by up to 90% with a Shingles vaccination¹.

Recently published studies also found that having the shingles vaccination

1. slowed the progression of dementia in people who already had dementia, and reduced the their risk of dying from dementia²
2. lowered risk of dying (when compared to control group) over the 7 years of the study. This was particularly strong for people older than 65 years and women.³
3. Reduced risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and vascular dementia (dementia caused by poor blood flow in the brain) for up to eight years.⁴

The vaccination is a two dose course. The second is dose is given 6 months after the first. As long as you start the course in your 65th year both doses are funded (free to you). If you're not 65 we can still vaccinate you, although the government will not fund it.

For patient information on the Shingrix vaccine click here

1) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1517/14712598.2016.1134481

2)https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/shingles-vaccination-linked-slower-dementia-progression-2025a1000yr0

3)https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/recombinant-zoster-vaccine-reduces-mortality-not-2025a1000cnj

4)https://www.escardio.org/news/press/press-releases/shingles-vaccine-lowers-the-risk-of-heart-disease-for-up-to-eight-years/