Shingles (herpes zoster)

​​​Shingles (herpes zoster) is caused by the reactivation of the virus that causes ​chickenpox, usually in adulthood and many years after the initial chickenpox illness.

Vaccination can prevent shingles. Shingles vaccination with a 2-dose course of Shingrix® is available for free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for the following eligible people:

  • adults aged 65 years and over
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over
  • immunocompromised people aged 18 years and over with the following medical conditions:
    • haematopoietic stem cell transplant
    • solid organ transplant
    • haematological malignancy
    • advanced or untreated HIV.

​For further information on the adult shingles vaccination program, speak to your doctor or visit​ Shingles vaccination.

Current as at: Thursday 29 August 2019
Contact page owner: Vaccine Preventable and Respiratory Diseases