Millions Eligible for Life-Saving Shingles Vaccine Urged to Act Now
Authorities report low uptake of free shingles vaccine, urging those at risk to protect themselves against this painful and potentially serious condition.
Health authorities are sounding the alarm about the millions of people in the UK who are eligible for the free shingles vaccine but have not yet taken advantage of this life-saving offer. Shingles is a serious and often debilitating condition that can lead to long-term nerve pain, vision loss, and other complications, especially for older adults. Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, new data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that fewer than half of those eligible have received the jab.
The shingles vaccine is provided free of charge to adults aged 70-79 in the UK, a group that is at particularly high risk of developing this painful viral infection. Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person has had chickenpox, the virus can lie dormant in the body for years before reemerging as shingles later in life.
{{IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER}}Source: UK Government
