Rates of hospitalisation for herpes zoster may warrant vaccinating indigenous Australians under 70

Meru Sheel*, Frank H. Beard, Aditi Dey, Kristine Macartney, Peter B. McIntyre

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    1 Citation (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus infection. The most common complication of HZ is post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is often debilitating and refractory to treatment. The incidence of both HZ and PHN increases markedly with age. In November 2016, a vaccine for HZ was included in Australias National Immunisation Program (NIP) for all people aged 70, together with a 5-year catch-up program for those aged 7179 years.3 The vaccine is cost-effective for people aged 7079, but is registered for vaccinating people from age 50.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)395-396
    Number of pages2
    JournalMedical Journal of Australia
    Volume207
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 6 Nov 2017

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