Everything GPs need to know about the herpes zoster vaccine for older adults
The live attenuated vaccine Zostavax from Seqirus has been freely available for people aged between 70 and 79 since November 2016.
It prevents herpes zoster with around 50-65% efficacy.
Breakthroughs are usually less severe for patients who have been vaccinated against herpes zoster, says Professor Tony Cunningham, an infectious diseases physician, clinical virologist and scientist at The University of Sydney.
The contraindications for Zostavax are severely immune-compromised patients. “This is extremely important,” he says. An Australian patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia recently died after being immunised.
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