Public Health England (PHE) has announced the groups eligible to receive the shingles vaccine from the start of September for the 2015 to 2016 vaccination programme. From 1 September 2015, the shingles vaccine will be offered routinely to people aged 70 years, and the catch up will extend to those aged 78 years.
In addition, patients who were eligible for immunisation in the first two years of the programme but have not yet been vaccinated against shingles remain eligible until their 80th birthday. These groups are:
- People aged 71 and 72 on 1 September 2015.
- People aged 79.
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (chickenpox), which is commonly caught in childhood.
