The free shingles vaccination is now available to more people over 18 who are immunocompromised due to an underlying health condition or as a side effect of treatment.

Shingles (also known as herpes zoster) is a viral infection that causes a painful blistering rash as a result of the reactivation of the same virus that causes chickenpox. While most symptoms typically last two to three weeks, shingles can lead to nerve pain that can last for months. Roughly one in three people will develop shingles at some stage during their lifetime.

Shingles Symptoms

The initial symptoms of shingles are:

  • A burning, tingling or itching sensation
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Headache
  • Tiredness
  • Rash

About two to three days after the initial symptoms, a rash will appear on sensitive skin. This rash usually appears on one side of your body around a skin nerve. At first, the rash consists of painful red bumps. These bumps quickly develop into fluid-filled blisters, which can be painful and itchy. These blisters will burst, and then heal into a crusty surface over two weeks.

The shingles rash can affect your:

  • Face
  • Chest
  • Back
  • Abdomen (tummy)
  • Pelvis

The rash usually lasts for around 10 days, but it can take several weeks to settle. In some people, shingles can lead to lasting nerve damage (called post-herpetic neuralgia).

(See the Healthdirect Australia website for information on managing shingles symptoms.)

Who Can Get Shingles?

If you have had chickenpox you can get shingles, even if you only had a mild case of chickenpox. After having chickenpox, the virus stays in the nerve cells of your body but is not active. Shingles occurs when the virus becomes active again — usually many years later. The virus may be reactivated by stress, illness, immunosuppression, older age, trauma and radiotherapy. However, shingles often occurs for no known reason.

Shingles can occur at any age. However, the risk of shingles is higher in people:

  • Aged over 50 years
  • With a weakened immune system
  • Who had chickenpox in their first year of life

Usually, people have shingles only once in their lives. But sometimes, especially if you have a weakened immune system, you might get repeat infections.

You can’t catch shingles from someone who has shingles. But you can get chickenpox from someone who has shingles if you have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine.

Unlike chickenpox, the shingles virus does not usually spread by coughing and sneezing. It spreads through contact with fluid from the blisters on a person’s skin who has shingles or by using or touching their bedding, clothing or towels.

If you get shingles, you can cover the shingles blisters with a dressing to help reduce the risk of passing the virus to others. This can also reduce the risk of your blisters becoming infected. Once the blisters crust over, your shingles is no longer contagious.

Shingles Vaccination

Getting vaccinated against shingles reduces your chance of developing the condition. The vaccine used to protect you against shingles is not the same as the vaccine used to protect against chickenpox.

The two-dose shingles vaccine (Shingrex®) was already subsidised by the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for a limited group of people. Those who did not meet those specific demographics had to pay up to $560 to be vaccinated.

(Note: There is currently no recommendation for booster doses of Shingrix® vaccine.)

From 1 September 2024, eligibility for free vaccination was expanded to include:

  • People 65 years and over
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 50 years and over
  • Eligible people 18 years and over considered at increased risk of herpes zoster due to an underlying condition and/or immunomodulatory/immunosuppressive treatments

This last category includes people with autoimmune conditions on certain disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) including:

  • Methotrexate (20mg or more per week)
  • Biologic DMARDs including (but not limited to) adalimumab, certolizumab, etanercept and abatacept
  • JAK inhibitors including (but not limited to) tofacitinib and baricitinib

You may experience minor side effects following vaccination. Most reactions are mild and last no more than a couple of days and you will recover without any problems.

Sources

 

This information should never replace the information and advice from your treating doctors. It is meant to inform the discussion that you have with healthcare professionals, as well as others who play a role in your care and well-being.

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