"The cost of the shingles vaccine and the debilitating effect it can have on the elderly was raised at the May meeting of Sligo County Council with calls made for the vaccine to be made freely available for those over 65."
"Cllr Higgins referenced the most recent public data which indicated that an average of 285 patients with shingles were hospitalised each year between 2013 and 2022. There were 54 deaths linked to shingles, 85 per cent of them in people aged 75 years and older."
"Cllr Higgins ' motion before the plenary meeting called on Sligo County Council to, "Write to the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to streamline to include the shingles vaccine in our National Strategy and to provide it free of charge to those over 65.""
""The obvious protection is to get the shingles vaccine which is available in Ireland but only privately. You cannot get it via your GP card or drug payment scheme. It costs approximately €500, which is a lot of money at any time, particularly for those on a limited income so as our pensioners, but even more so now during a cost of living crisis when food, transport and energy costs continue to head in one direction."
An average of 285 people with shingles were hospitalised each year from 2013 to 2022, with 54 deaths linked to shingles. Most deaths occurred in people aged 75 and older, accounting for 85% of fatalities. A motion called for Sligo County Council to write to the Minister for Health to streamline inclusion of the shingles vaccine in the National Strategy and provide it free of charge to those over 65. The vaccine is available in Ireland but only privately, not through GP card or drug payment schemes. The illness can be debilitating for older adults, with prolonged immune compromise and adverse side effects. The vaccine cost is about €500, creating barriers during a cost of living crisis.
Read at Irish Independent
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