Has anyone had the Shingles Vaccine?

Has anyone had the Shingles Vaccine ?

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yes i have

Not yet but I will definitely get it when I become eligible for it.

3 of my older siblings have already developed Shingles in their late Sixties, before they had been offered a vaccination, and have been quite poorly with it. One of my sisters had the shingles blisters all down one side of her face and even inside her mouth. She was in so much pain and couldn’t eat properly - even soups and fluids were painful to get down. It took her a long time to recover from it.

I have to wait a few more years for NHS to offer me a vaccination and since seeing my siblings all developing it in their late 60s, I have been thinking about looking into whether I can have it done now I’m over 65 if I pay privately.

I think here in U.K., the NHS are phasing in the age reduction from 70 to 65, so from now when you reach 65, you are eligible to have the vaccine but if you have already passed your 65th Birthday, you have to wait until you are 70. (Unless you have an existing health condition that makes you more vulnerable)

I was hoping they would speed up the Shingles vaccination programme to gradually get everyone over 65 vaccinated within the next couple of years, instead of all over 65s having to wait that extra 4 or 5 years until they are 70.

No. I always appear to be the wrong age.

I am unfortunately the right age but don’t like the idea of putting yet more stuff in my body .

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yes,5yrs ago,after i had shingles

Years ago, yes.

I had one about a decade ago and a booster last year. I think the last one was more painful that the Covid and flu vaccines for a day or two but it soon settled down.

No…but I did have shingles on my 60th birthday.

I had my first shingles vaccine at age 60.

Never have had the Shingles.

My mother had the Shingles at age 55.
On her forehead, terribly painful and
life changing for her.

Out of my my moms seven siblings, all
seven of them had the Shingles.

Yes, I have…

I had the vac some months ago but 3 weeks ago got shingles on my head and neck.

Mr M and I had our Shingles jab several years ago, He had Shingles twice beforehand.

Our Daughter received her shingles Jab last week, given to her earlier due to risk having previously having had cancer a couple of years ago.

I guess it is a vaccine with no future because, for the last 30/40 years, every child has been routinely vaccinated against Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox and Rubella. It’s a Brave New World.

No, chicken pox vaccine has only been routinely offered for about 15 years and it wasnt on on funded schedule of all countries for all that time.

I have had Zostavax, the previous shingles vaccine. ( my employer provided it, I was under the funded age group)

The newer Shingrix has just recently been added to funded schedule in Australia - all people over 65 and some younger people with high risk medical factors

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Vaccines for this, vaccines for that, at this age, it’s getting tricky to guess what is actually going to take you out. :grin:

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I don’t think that is correct my kids are all in their mid/late thirties and had all those vaccinations when they were at school. I used to have their childhood vaccination books but gave them to them a few years ago so I can’t look it up

Edit:

No, sorry, you might be right, I found this (it turns out I still have youngest child’s book)

It isn’t what takes me out that worries me, Spitty - it’s what makes my life a misery whilst I am still alive that I want to try to avoid!

So far, the only thing that has brought me down was that damned Covid - I’ve only just shaken off the long-term effects of that after nearly 4 years - and having seen what my brother and two sisters suffered with Shingles, I’d welcome taking the vaccine to avoid the pain and side-effects they went through.

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Bruce - I dont know everything about all topics but vaccination is an area I have worked i n for several decades.

I am right about this.

: Varicella vaccine has been available in Australia since 1999 and, since November 2005, has been funded under the National Immunisation Program for use in all children as a single dose at 18
months of age and in a school-based catch-up program at 10-13 years of age.

an old article but the historical information has obviously not changed

and I don’t think it is funded childhood vaccine in UK, even now.

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No, it is not part of the funded vaccination programme for children in U.K. - but the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) have recently recommended that it should be added to the programme, on the same kind of schedule that you have just outlined, @July

The JCVI had previously ruled out a vaccination programme but results of a long-term study in USA has provided information that changed their decision.

The announcement about the JCVI recommendation was only made in November 2023 and it was awaiting approval by the Government Health Ministers, so I don’t know how much further along they’ve got with it since then.

For now, the vaccination is only available from NHS for free for people who are in close contact with someone who would be particularly vulnerable to chickenpox or its complications.

A number of pharmacies offer the vaccination as a private service.
I noticed the price they charge for chicken pox vaccination ranges between £130 - &150 (£65 -£75 per dose)

I was looking at prices they charge for the Shingles vaccine and that is much more expensive, ranging between £400 - £450 (£200 - £225 per dose)

I wonder why there is such a huge difference in price between the two vaccines - is the shingles vaccine a more recent development or a different type?