New vaccine recommended against shingles in France

France’s national health authority is recommending a new shingles vaccine to reduce the number of cases of the infection in France.

The Haute autorité de santé (HAS) is updating its strategy to fight against shingles (zona in French) which affects around 230,000 people each year in France.

Older people, and those who had chicken pox as children, are particularly susceptible to shingles, as the illness can lay dormant for decades before being activated again.

Immunocompromised people over the age of 18, and anyone over the age of 65 are being recommended for the new vaccine.

However, the government has not yet adopted the strategy, and there is as yet no agreement over how the vaccine would be covered by social security.

Currently, the vaccine, Shingrix – which has to be given over two doses – costs around €200 per patient.

It is already available for patients in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and Germany, among others.

The recommendations will need to be reviewed by the Commission d'évaluation économique et de santé publique and the Commission de la transparence.

France’s health ministry usually followed the advice of the HAS, but this is not guaranteed.

Read more: Why new Covid vaccination campaign is set to launch in France

Vaccination coverage is low

The new vaccine is being recommended by the HAS for two reasons.

Firstly, unlike current shingles vaccines, it is not dangerous for immunocompromised patients to take, meaning a wider spread of people can use it.

In addition, the vaccine has a much higher success rate in eliminating the risk of shingles (79.3% versus 45.9% for the next best).

Shingles hospitalises around 2,600 people per year in France, most of them over 65.

Read more: How does your local French hospital fare in official quality rankings?

Currently, vaccination coverage for shingles is around 5% in France, despite a vaccine for 65 - 74 year olds being available.

You can talk to your GP if you want more information on getting the vaccine.

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