Shingles vaccine overview

A vaccine to prevent shingles, a common, painful skin disease is available on the NHS to people in their 70s.


The shingles vaccine is expected to reduce your risk of getting shingles. If you do go on to have the disease, your symptoms may be milder and the illness shorter.

Shingles can be very painful and uncomfortable. Some people are left with pain lasting for years after the initial rash has healed. Shingles is also fatal for around 1 in 1,000 over-70s who develop it.


Who can have the shingles vaccination?

You're eligible for the shingles vaccine if you are aged 70 or 78 years old.

In addition, anyone who was previously eligible (born on or after 2 September 1942) but missed out on their shingles vaccination remains eligible until their 80th birthday.

When you're eligible, you can have the shingles vaccination at any time of year.

The shingles vaccine is not available on the NHS to anyone aged 80 or over because it seems to be less effective in this age group.

Find out more about who is eligible for shingles vaccination.

How do I get the shingles vaccine?

Once you become eligible for shingles vaccination your doctor will take the opportunity to vaccinate you when you attend the surgery for general reasons, or for your annual flu vaccination.


What is the brand name of the shingles vaccine?


Read the patient information leaflet (PIL) for Zostavax (PDF, 171kb).

How does the shingles vaccine work?


Very occasionally, people develop a chickenpox-like illness following shingles vaccination (fewer than 1 in 10,000 individuals).

How long will the shingles vaccine protect me for?

It's difficult to be precise, but research suggests the shingles vaccine will protect you for at least 5 years, probably longer.

How safe is the shingles vaccine?


Read more about shingles vaccine side effects.

What is shingles?



Read more about the symptoms of shingles.

How is shingles spread?

You don't "catch" shingles – it comes on when there's a reawakening of chickenpox virus that's already in your body. The virus can be reactivated because of a range of issues, including advancing age, medication, illness or stress.

Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles. It's estimated that around 1 in 5 people who have had chickenpox go on to develop shingles.

Read more about the causes of shingles.

Who's most at risk of shingles?



Read more about the complications of shingles.

There's more information about shingles vaccination in this NHS leaflet (PDF, 422kb).


[Last reviewed 2018-07-06]