Shingles vaccine
Eligible persons for vaccination (optional vaccination)
- 50 years or older
- People aged 18 or older who are considered to be at high risk of contracting shingles
Vaccine types and prices
Shingrix®, a shingles vaccine
Shingrix® is a shingles vaccine that was launched in January 2020. Two doses of the vaccine are expected to be highly effective in preventing shingles, and it has been confirmed that immunity lasts for 1 years (clinical trials are ongoing).
| Part Number | "ShingrixⓇ" |
|---|---|
| Vaccination price | 27,500 yen (tax included) |
| Types of vaccination | Optional vaccinations (No public funding) |
Routine vaccinations: vaccinations provided primarily by municipalities
Optional vaccinations: Vaccinations that individuals can receive on their own request.
Inoculation method
Those aged 50 or older are usually required to receive the second vaccination two months after the first. If you miss the two months, you can receive the second vaccination within six months of the first vaccination.
Why you should get the shingles vaccine
Reason 1: If the condition worsens, hospitalization may be required.
Symptoms and pain levels vary from person to person, but if the condition becomes severe, it may interfere with daily life or require hospitalization. Even after the symptoms have subsided, there is a risk of developing "postherpetic neuralgia," a condition that causes pain for a long period of time.
Reason ２: Incidence rate increases in the 50s, and thereafter increases with age.
It is estimated that about one in three people will develop shingles by the age of 80. About 70% of patients are over the age of 50, but even younger people can develop the disease. （*１)
*１: Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases IASR. 2013, 34, p. 298-300Reason ３: Vaccines can prevent approximately 90% of cases
Shingrix is expected to be highly effective in preventing shingles, and its preventive effect is reported to be 97% in those over 50 years old and about 90% in those over 70 years old (*２). Vaccination is preventive, and even if it does occur, it can alleviate symptoms.
*２: Dry recombinant herpes zoster vaccine for intramuscular injection Singrix® Summary of major clinical trial results, etc.
Causes of Shingles
Shingles is an itchy, painful skin rash caused by the chickenpox virus.
Chickenpox typically occurs during childhood, and even after recovery, the virus remains dormant in the body and is kept under control by the immune system.
When the immune system weakens in adulthood, the virus becomes reactivated and causes shingles. It is said that more than 90% of Japanese people have the causative virus lurking in their bodies. Shingles is one disease to be careful of when the immune system is easily weakened due to aging, lifestyle-related diseases, stress, fatigue, seasonal changes, etc. (*3)
*3: Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, IASR. 2018; 39(8): 129-130.
Frequently asked questions about the Shingles vaccine
- Are there any side effects from the vaccination?
You may experience pain, swelling, and fever at the injection site, but these usually disappear within a few days.
- Is shingles contagious?
It cannot be transmitted to other people as shingles, but it can be transmitted from a person who has had shingles to a person who has not had chickenpox.
- What are the early symptoms?
In many cases, you may feel an uncomfortable sensation or a tingling or prickly pain in the skin of a certain part of your body. Eventually, a red rash will appear in that area, and then blisters will appear and break, causing the skin to become sore and scabbed. As the condition progresses, you may experience pain so severe that you are unable to sleep. Symptoms vary from person to person, with some people only experiencing mild pain and others suffering from pain so severe that they are unable to sleep.
- Is there anything I should be careful about in my daily life?
Since stress, illness, and weakened immunity due to treatment can all trigger the onset of the disease, it is important to maintain your immune system and take good care of your health on a daily basis.
- What should I do if symptoms appear?
Please see a doctor as soon as possible and start treatment. It is most important to suppress the proliferation of the virus and pain as soon as possible.
