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<p>The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended that those
who are eligible for the shingles vaccine should change, to allow individuals to be
protected at an earlier age, particularly those that have a weakened immune system.
Based on the evidence, they recognised that there may be more clinical benefit from
starting shingles vaccinations at a lower age, with modelling indicating that a greater
number of cases of shingles would be prevented with vaccination at 60 years old for
immunocompetent individuals, and 50 years old for immunosuppressed individuals. The
committee advised that the programme should be implemented in stages, starting with
those that are over 50 years old with a weakened immune system and those turning 65
and 70 years old, then eventually moving down to those turning 60 years old. This
is a similar pattern to the roll out of the shingles vaccine from 2013. This is why
the vaccine offer has been expanded to all those turning 65 and 70 years old and all
those over 50 years old with a weakened immune system, from 1 September 2023. The
programme began on 1 September 2023 and will run until 31 August 2028, offering the
vaccine to people as they turn 65 and 70 years old, until the offer has been made
to all those aged 65 to 70 years old. It will then expand to offering the vaccine
to all those that are turning 60 and 65 years old, from 1 September 2028.</p><p>The
shingles vaccine is available through general practice (GP) surgeries in primary care,
and GPs are required to identify and put in place a call or recall arrangement to
offer the shingles vaccination to eligible patients. All eligible patients are contacted
by their GP surgery to invite them for vaccination. The GP will then follow up with
letters or with calls and text messages, to encourage eligible people that have not
come forward to take up the offer.</p><p> </p><p>There is a wide range of public facing
information to help increase uptake of the shingles vaccine, and to publicise the
programme in GP surgeries and online, including display bunting, leaflets, and posters.
GPs are also adding messages regarding shingles to their practice websites, prescription
counterfoils, and social media banners. Public facing information regarding the shingles
vaccination programme includes translations into over 20 different languages including
braille, audio, large print, and British Sign Language. Information for healthcare
professionals, including GP toolkits for improving uptake of shingles vaccination,
has also been produced and published by local immunisation commissioning teams.</p>
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