Shingles vaccine
A vaccine to prevent shingles, a common, painful skin disease, is available on the NHS to certain people in their 70s. We recommend that eligible patients receive the vaccine. They only need to have the vaccination once and can have it at any time of the year.
You are eligible for the shingles vaccine if you were aged 70 or 78 years old on 1st September 2016.
In addition, anyone who was eligible for immunisation in the previous three years of the programme but missed out on their shingles vaccination remains eligible until their 80th birthday.
This includes:
* People aged 70, 71, 72 and 73 on 1 September 2017
* People aged 78 and 79 on 1 September 2017
The shingles vaccine is not available on the NHS if you are aged 80 or over because it is less effective in this age group.
You can have the shingles vaccination at any time of year, though many people will find it convenient to have it at the same time as their annual flu vaccination.