About the shingles vaccine
The shingles vaccine provides protection against shingles and you only need one dose.
The vaccine is most effective when given at age 70.
It's not being offered to younger people, because shingles is more common in the over 70s.
It's not being offered to people aged 80 or over as the vaccine isn't as effective when given at this age.
Who can have the shingles vaccine
The shingles vaccine is being offered to Islanders, depending on their year of birth.
Routine programme for 70 year olds
The vaccine is being routinely offered to Islanders during the year of their 70th birthday.
For example, if you were born in 1946, you were able to have the vaccine during 2016. If you were born in 1947, you can have the vaccine during 2017, and so on.
| 1946 | 2016 |
| 1947 | 2017 |
| 1948 | 2018 |
| 1949 | 2019 |
| 1950 | 2020 |
Staggered catch-up programme
We've been rolling out a staggered catch-up programme for people born between 1937 to 1945. It wasn't possible to offer vaccine to everyone aged 71-79 all at the same time so we've been rolling it out on a phased basis.
The age group that have most recently become eligible to have the vaccine are:
| 1943, 1944 and 1945 | 1 August 2017 to 30 November 2017 |
Eligible groups that have already been offered the vaccine as part of the catch-up programme are:
- those born in 1937 who were eligible to have the vaccine last year between 1 September 2016 to 31 December 2016
- those born in 1938 and 1939 who were eligible to have the vaccine from 1 December 2016 to 31 March 2017
- those born in 1940, 1941 and 1942 who were eligible to have the vaccine from 1 April 2017 to 31 July 2017
If you are currently aged 70 to 79 and you haven't yet had the vaccine, you can still get the vaccine until the end of 2017. Contact your GP to get protected against shingles.
If you've already had shingles
You can have the shingles vaccine even if you've already had shingles.
The vaccine will boost your immunity against further shingles attacks.
Where to get the vaccine
If you're in one of the eligible year of birth groups (as shown above), make an appointment at your GP surgery.
It's important you have the vaccine during the time when your surgery has vaccine available for your year of birth group.
Cost of the vaccine
The cost of the vaccine is being funded by the Health department. Your GP may charge a consultation fee to administer the vaccine . Check with your GP surgery.
Side effects of the shingles vaccine
It's quite common to get redness and discomfort at the injection site, as well as headaches. These side effects are generally mild and don't last long.
Speak to your GP if these symptoms last longer than a few days after having the shingles vaccine.
About shingles disease
Shingles is an unpleasant, often debilitating illness.
Shingles:
- is an infection of a nerve and the skin around it. The main symptom is followed by a rash that develops into blisters, similar appearance to chicken pox
- usually lasts between two and four weeks. The older you are, the worse it can be. It can lead to complications, such as severe nerve pain which can last for months or even years
- is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (herpes varicella-zoster virus). After you get chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in your body. It can become re-activated and cause shingles
- can't be caught from someone else with shingles or from someone with chicken pox
- is more common in the over 70s. Around 1 in 4 adults will get shingles in their lifetime. Jersey has 80 to 90 cases per year among 70 to 79 year olds
It's hoped the introduction of this vaccine will reduce the number of people developing shingles.
Shingles on NHS Choices website
Patient information leaflet for the shingles vaccine on Medicines.org website
gov.je