Did you know that one in three adults is expected to develop shingles in their lifetime, and the risk increases with age?
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster (HZ), is a painful and often debilitating condition caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus responsible for chickenpox. Following a chickenpox infection, VZV remains dormant in the nervous system and can reactivate later in life due to a weakened immune system, often associated with aging, health conditions or certain medications. By the age of 85 the incidence of developing shingles reaches 1 in 2.
The symptoms of shingles include a painful, blistering skin rash that can lead to severe complications such as nerve pain (postherpetic neuralgia) that may persist for months or even years. Other complications can include vision loss and scarring. A new Harvard-led study also has found that shingles increases risk of cognitive decline. Shingles pain can significantly disrupt daily life, making it challenging for patients to sleep, work, or engage in regular activities.
“Shingles can be quite serious,” emphasizes Dr. Joshua Budlovsky, a consultant Geriatric Medicine physician in Victoria BC., who provides outreach work to rural communities throughout BC including Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert. “For one thing, pain associated with shingles can persist and become chronic. Unfortunately, the medications that we use to treat that chronic pain have a lot of potential consequences and serious side effects. So, it’s not just the shingles, it’s the shingles and then the complications, and then the treatment of the complications that really spirals.”
”People plan on maintaining their health throughout their 70s and 80s, so they can do the things they want to do in their retirement,” says Dr. Budlovsky, who is also a clinical instructor at UBC. “Things like falls and fractures, or shingles with ongoing nerve pain are the types of things that really knock people off their game plan and begin a cycle of decline. Anything that we can do to prevent that seems like a real no brainer.”
The good news is that shingles vaccines have well over 90% efficacy and last for at least 11 years.
The bad news? While shingles vaccines are available across the country, not all provinces have adhered to the funding recommendation by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), which since 2018 has advised that the shingles immunization be offered through public health programs to adults aged 50 and older.
Bill VanGorder, Advocacy and Education Officer for CARP is passionate about vaccine awareness. “The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy aging as ‘developing and maintaining the functional ability that allows people to be and do what they value.’ Immunization supports healthy aging, and that’s why we advocate so strongly for it.”
CARP encourages members to speak to their heath care team about shingles vaccination.
“CARP believes your postal code shouldn’t determine your access to the best available healthcare,” Concludes Bill VanGorder, “And we encourage our members to make some noise about that too. That’s how change happens.”
Wondering if your province or territory funds shingles? Here’s the overview of shingles coverage in November 2024
Publicly Funded SHINGRIX Programs in Canada, as of October 3, 2024
| Jurisdictions | Age Cohorts | Program Start & Expansion Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Prince Edward Island | 65 years and older | January 2022 |
| 60 years and older | November 2022 | |
| 50 years and older | September 2024 | |
| Ontario | 65 to 70 years old | October 2020 |
| 65 to 75 years old | Cohort expansion until December 2024 | |
| Quebec | 80 years and older and 18 years and older who are immunocompromised | May 2023 |
| 75 years and older and 18 years and older who are immunocompromised | May 2024 | |
| Yukon | 65 to 70 years old | October 2020 |
| 65 to 79 years old | December 2021 | |
| Northwest Territories | 65 years and older | September 2022 |
| Alberta | Solid organ transplants (18 years and older) | September 2021 |
| Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) (18 years and older) | January 2024 | |
| Veterans | 50 years and older | January 2021 |
| Non-insured health benefits for First Nations and Inuit | 65 to 70 years old | January 2021 |
| 65 years and older, individuals who are immunocompromised and/or with cancer | September 2022 | |
| 60 years and older, individuals that are immunocompromised and/or with cancer | June 2023 | |
| First Nation Health Authority | 65 to 69 years old | May 2019 |
| 65 years and older | January 2021 | |
| 60 years and older | September 2023 | |
| 60 years and under (case by case basis) | August 2023 | |
| Incarcerated, Corrections Canada | 65 to 70 years old | October 2020 |
| Department of National Defense | 50 years and older who are immunocompromised | 2019 |
