06 November 2023 , 12:10
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Nearly one million vulnerable Brits can get a dose of a potentially life-saving vaccine to help protect them against a virus, although there is confusion over who is eligible.
The jab will be offered to almost one million more people in England in the coming months. The Shingrix jab is currently available to those aged over 70 but from September 1 it will be given to anyone who is severely immunosuppressed and over 50. Those turning 65 and 70 will also be eligible for the vaccine after their birthday. As a result of the move by the , the jab is expected to reach an additional 900,000 people.
However some people have been confused by the rules as they say people must have turned 65 after September 1 2023 to be eligible, meaning those who celebrated their 65th on or before August 31 will now not be eligible for another five years until they turn 70.
Among those confused was Kathryn Harris, 67, who told Northern Echo: “I rang up and they said they would have to see if I was eligible. I turned 65 two years ago but you have to turn 65 on September 1 this year or after. There’s a block of five years where those people have to wait 'til they’re 70. People younger than us are getting the vaccine."
The UK Health Security Agency said of the decision: "Based on the evidence, the JCVI recognised there may be more clinical benefit from starting shingles vaccinations at a lower age, with modelling indicating that a greater number of cases of shingles would be prevented with vaccination at 60 years for immunocompetent individuals and 50 years for immunocompromised individuals."
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People can contract shingles at any age but complications can occur in people with weakened immune systems. The infection causes a painful rash and is not contagious but develops in people who have previously had chicken pox. According to the NHS, at least nine in ten adults carry the virus which causes shingles after previously having chicken pox in childhood.
The first signs of shingles can be a tingling or painful feeling in an area of the skin and a headache or feeling generally unwell, explains the . A rash usually appears a few days later, most of the time on your chest and tummy, but it can also appear on your face, eyes and genitals. It can take up to four weeks for the rash to heal but in some cases, shingles can result in blindness, hearing loss, nerve pain and death.
Steve Russell, national director of vaccinations and screening at NHS England, said: "While the country has been focused on the NHS's successful Covid and flu vaccine programmes, there remain other preventable illnesses like shingles which can be fatal to those most at risk. With a quarter of people getting shingles in their lifetime, and with it being one of the few conditions that cannot achieve herd immunity, the expansion of the programme will provide peace of mind to hundreds of thousands and save lives."