The NHS offers a vaccine that reduces your risk of developing shingles. This guide describes the national shingles programme, the benefits of the vaccine and who is eligible. There are 2 shingles vaccines, Zostavax® and Shingrix®. Your GP practice or local pharmacy will advise which is the right vaccine for you.
Unlike most other infections, you don’t catch shingles from someone else. Most of us had chickenpox when we were young, although some of us will not be aware that we’ve had it. After you have chickenpox, the virus remains dormant living in the nerves. For most of your life, you will not be aware of this, but from time to time the virus can come back and spread to the skin causing a disease called shingles.
Shingles can be very painful and tends to affect people more commonly as they get older. This can be because your immune system is weakened by increasing age, by stress or by a range of medical conditions and treatments.
For some, the pain caused by shingles can last for many years. Shingles can really affect your life, stopping you from doing all the things you usually enjoy.
