Shingles is the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, which most people had when they were young. The virus can stay dormant in your body throughout your life without you knowing it is there. if the virus reactivates later in life, it causes a disease called shingles.
Shingles can be very painful and is more common among older people. The older you are, the worse it can be. For some, the pain caused by shingles can last for many years. The risk of shingles and its complications is also high for people who have a severely weakened immune system.
Every year in Scotland around 400 people aged 70 and over will be hospitalised due to shingles and related complications.
You are eligible for the shingles vaccine if you were aged 65 or 70 on 1st September 2023.
You are also eligible to get vaccinated if you were:
- aged 50 or over with a severely weakened immune system or about to start immunosuppressive therapy
- 71 to 79 and have not previously been vaccinated
- 18 and over and have received a stem cell transplant or a CAR-T therapy.
If you’re eligible, NHS Scotland will contact you with details of your appointment. You may be offered the shingles vaccine at any time of the year after you become eligible.
Further information is available from NHS Inform or you can contact the NHS Ayrshire & Arran Vaccination Centre on 01563 826 540.
Please note that GP Practices no longer provide these vaccines.
