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Luxembourg's Ministry of Health has announced that the shingles vaccine will be made available free of charge to people aged 65 and those with immunodeficiencies in the coming days.
Following the recommendations of the Superior Council of Infectious Diseases (CSMI), the Health Directorate will make the "Shingrix" vaccine, which aims to reduce the frequency of shingles, available free of charge from April 2023. The vaccine will be available for distribution to medical practitioners in the coming days. Patients who meet the criteria for vaccination and wish to be vaccinated against shingles should contact their treating physician.
According to the recommendations of the CSMI, vaccination is recommended for the following people: adults aged 65 and over, with administration of two doses spaced two to six months apart; adults aged eighteen or older who are or will be immunocompromised due to disease or treatment, with two doses given one to two months apart.
People between the ages of 50 and 65 can also be vaccinated, although vaccination will not be part of the national vaccination programme and will not be free. These individuals should contact their medical practitioner to obtain a medical prescription for the vaccine and then buy it from a pharmacy.
The Health Ministry recalled that shingles is a blistering rash that is often painful. The rash usually occurs on one part of the body and can last for several weeks. The virus that causes shingles is the same as that of chickenpox. When a person has had chickenpox, the virus remains in his body in the nerve ganglia. After several years, when the immune system weakens (due to age, a disease or a specific treatment), this virus may cause shingles.
The Shingrix vaccine has been found to help reduce the occurrence of episodes of shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), which are very strong, long-lasting pains that appear following shingles.
