THE ROLL-OUT OF the shingles vaccine will not start until June next year.

The jab will initially be offered to people who are immunocompromised, according to Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. 

Speaking today at her department’s post-budget press conference in Government Buildings, the minister said the vaccine will be offered to people who are immunocompromised in early summer, before moving on to the over-80s. 

On a phased basis, the vaccine will then be offered to those over 65. 

Shingles vaccines are available in Ireland, but the HSE does not currently provide free vaccination and people must pay to be vaccinated.

Shingles is a viral infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, and you can only get shingles if you have already had chickenpox.

Three out of every 10 people who have had chickenpox will go on to have shingles at some point in their life and while you cannot pass shingles to another person, coming in contact with shingles can cause chickenpox in someone who has never had chickenpox before.

Shingles causes a painful, blister-like rash, and while symptoms normally clear up within a month, some people may continue to experience pain for months, or even years after the rash heals.

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The minister said the HSE is currently negotiating the price with the pharmaceutical company, with MacNeill stating she wants “to be careful in relation to that”. 

The minister said the vaccine lasts about 10 to 11 years, adding that it is a very significant investment in health, particularly for older people.

Two years ago, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA)) deemed that introducing a shingles’ vaccine programme would “not be an efficient use of resources” at the current vaccine price.