During Shingles Awareness Week (24 February-2 March 2025), it was announced that a position paper has been produced examining what is required for Ireland to develop a comprehensive adult immunisation programme.
The extensive position paper is informed by a diverse group of experts in healthcare and immunisation and best practice from abroad. The launch of the paper is on Wednesday 5 March between 4 and 6pm at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, with a range of TDs and other prominent stakeholders in the health space due to attend.
Meanwhile, Half of Irish people aged between 50-to-60 say they don’t know much about shingles, according to new research conducted to coincide with Shingles Awareness Week 2025. Considering that over half (51 per cent) of those surveyed also say that they feel younger than their age, a positive indicator of healthy ageing, this is a concern since 90 per cent of adults carry the varicella zoster virus, putting them at risk of shingles. As immune function declines with age this virus, which remains dormant in the nervous system, can reactivate, causing shingles.
Forty-eight per cent of respondents in the survey reported long-term health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, COPD and chronic kidney disease. This may indicate that a large proportion of the population aged between 50 and 60 have a degree of immunocompromise which could place them at increased risk of shingles.
Despite that, just 9 per cent said they are very concerned about contracting shingles, with 45 per cent saying they are a little bit concerned, and 37 per cent saying they were not at all concerned.
Eavan Daly, Country Medical Director at GSK Ireland, commented: “Our data shows that many individuals in this age group underestimate their susceptibility to age-related diseases and are unaware of their potential risks. Shingles can have a severe impact on a person’s health and quality of life, particularly for those with existing long-term conditions, which continues to drive our efforts to raise awareness and encourage people to speak with their healthcare provider to learn more.”
GSK Ireland is also running a shingles disease awareness campaign across radio and social media in March and early April, encouraging people to speak to a healthcare professional or visit understandingshingles.ie to learn more about shingles.
