It has taken some doing, but a shingles vaccination program is coming soon. Why has this taken so long? What are its benefits? And what should the vaccination program look like?
How does shingles develop?
The virus that causes chickenpox is also at the root of shingles. Almost everyone gets chicken pox as a child. This will pass over time, but the virus will remain in the body. Many years later, at times when your resistance is weakened, this virus can become active again and cause shingles. You can recognize this rash by the group of blisters on your body. These are often located on your abdomen (hence the name ‘shingles’), but can also appear on your leg, under your armpit or on your face. It usually goes away on its own after 2 to 4 weeks. The chance that you will get shingles at some point in your life is 20 to 25 percent.
Is shingles dangerous for your health?
It can be especially painful and unpleasant, especially in people over 60. Shingles is accompanied by itching, tingling and shooting pains. If you get shingles, it can cause nerve pain that is difficult to treat with medication. If it occurs near your eye, it can affect the sensory nerve, resulting in vision problems. Then it is necessary to use antiviral medication, but this must be done within 72 hours after you get the 1st complaints. Also note that the virus is contagious if you come into contact with someone who has not yet had chickenpox. He can take over the virus from you and therefore still get chickenpox. In this case, for example, be careful not to infect your newborn grandchild. Shingles is not directly transmissible, but you can transmit the virus.
Why is there only now a vaccination program for shingles?
This discussion about shingles vaccination has been going on for a number of years. The vaccine has been around for some time, but has only been available in the Netherlands since mid-2020. Moreover, the shingles vaccination will not immediately become part of the National Vaccination Programme, as is sometimes customary in other European countries. This is due to the high cost of vaccines. In 2023, State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen (Public Health, Welfare and Sport) considers the vaccination ‘cost-effective’ enough to implement. In other words: the costs of the vaccination round outweigh the saved medical costs. Because every year an estimated 88,000 people go to their GP because of shingles. After vaccination, the risk of shingles is significantly reduced for this group.
Is it already known what the vaccination program will look like?
The content of the vaccination campaign depends on the budget that is made available for this. The government is aiming for the spring of 2024 to roll out the campaign, provided there is enough money for it. More will become clear about this in the upcoming Spring Memorandum of the government, no later than 1 June 2023. There is also the question of which population groups will have their turn first. First the 60-year-olds and then all ages above? Or is the ministry starting a catch-up campaign for the older generations? All these questions must be answered before the vaccination campaign can begin. In this item of Time for MAX, doctor Ted van Essen briefly discusses the upcoming vaccination campaign.
(Source: Ted van Essen, RIVM, Time for MAX, Thuisarts, Trouw, Bergman Clinics, Rijksfinancien. Photo: Shutterstock)