Shingrix Vaccine for Shingles (herpes zoster, HZ) - Dose II

What is the zoster vaccine used for?

The main goal of Shingrix is to prevent shingles – a painful skin condition that occurs when the chickenpox virus reactivates in your body. The vaccine is recommended for adults aged 50 and older, regardless of whether they remember having had chickenpox.

Shingles is a painful blistering rash caused by the reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox. After a person has had chickenpox, the virus can remain dormant in the nerves and reactivate when the immune system is weakened (the body's natural defense system), for example, with aging or illness.
In addition to protecting against shingles, the vaccine also protects against postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) – a serious complication where nerve pain persists long after the shingles rash has disappeared. This chronic pain condition can last for months or even years, significantly affecting your quality of life.
The vaccine is also recommended for adults aged 19 and older whose immune systems are weakened due to conditions such as HIV, cancer treatment, or organ transplantation. Even if you've had shingles before, the vaccine can help prevent future episodes.

This vaccine is considered very potent and effective, providing more than 90% protection against shingles in clinical trials. Protection remains high even in people over 70, making it significantly more effective than the older live zoster vaccine, which is no longer recommended.

Who is the vaccine for

• Adults aged 50 and over – the primary group to receive the vaccine as immunity weakens with age.
• Aged 18–19 – individuals with a high-risk or weakened immune system due to disease.
• Those who have had shingles – vaccination is possible even if you have previously had shingles. 

Vaccination schedule and process

• Two doses – the course consists of two vaccines.
• Interval – the second dose is given 2 months after the first (up to 6 months if needed).
• Method of administration – the vaccine is administered intramuscularly (usually into the deltoid muscle of the arm). 

IMPORTANT

Shingrix is not intended for the primary prevention of chickenpox infection.
Vaccination with Shingrix, like with other vaccines, should be postponed in individuals with a severe acute illness accompanied by fever. However, vaccination does not need to be postponed due to a mild infectious disease, such as a cold. 

Shingrix should be used with caution in individuals with thrombocytopenia or a bleeding disorder, as administering the vaccine intramuscularly in such individuals may result in bleeding.

As with any other vaccine, a protective immune response may not develop in all vaccinated individuals. 

Shingrix can be administered concurrently with a non-adjuvanted, inactivated seasonal influenza vaccine, a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23), or a reduced antigen diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine (dTpa). The vaccines should be administered into different injection sites.

Concurrent use with other vaccines is not recommended due to a lack of data. 

Adverse reactions occurred more frequently in individuals aged 50-69 compared to those aged 70 or older, particularly general adverse reactions such as myalgia, fatigue, headache, chills, fever, and gastrointestinal symptoms. 

IMPORTANT – information provided based on the summary of product characteristics.